Broken
by Writer347
Summary: Rose has to rebuild her life after leaving it all behind. She has to learn how to trust and love again. She does not think it is possible until she meets a tall, dark and handsome stranger. Rose believes that maybe she can learn to love again but only if the stranger is willing to help rebuild her. Rated T for safety ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Six Months

**Broken  
Chapter 1  
Six Months**

 **Rose  
** Getting pregnant at 17 years of age was not what I had planned for myself and I know that it is definitely not what my mom had planned for me but… well there is not much we can do about it. I have to admit I was luckier then most 17 year olds that find out their pregnant because since finding out I was pregnant 6 months ago, my boyfriend (and father to my baby) Jesse has been by my side and he has really stepped up to the plate. He got himself a job working at a grocery store, which I know is not the best job in the world and not the best paying but he's 18 years old. He also got himself a car and he's been coming to all of my doctors appointments with me and if he was allowed he would stay over my place with me for the night and basically be my servant. I was really lucky to have such an amazing man in my life. Yes, Jesse is a man, he's 18 years old but he's really stepped up and become a man.

Things have been hard sine finding out I was pregnant, I've lost a lot of friends because they didn't want to be associated with the 'pregnant girl', I also think their parents thought that I was a bad influence but I still had a few friends, my true friends. Not only had my social life taken a beating since finding out I was pregnant, my schooling has also started to deteriorate which has really angered my mom. When I first told her I was pregnant she told me that I had to graduate school with the rest of my class if I wanted to continue living in her house, she found out the other day that I was failing two classes and she had flipped. I've been doing my best but it's been hard to concentrate when I was worrying about the baby and wondering if the baby was moving too much, not enough. Sitting at a desk with a sore back and swollen feet also didn't help matters much… but I have been trying as hard as I can.

I've realised that being pregnant stops you from doing a lot of things and it can make you feel isolated. For example, when the fair came to town I went with Jesse and my last few friends but I wasn't allowed on any of the rides because I was pregnant. So whilst Jesse and our friends went on the rides I just waited with their bags and ate my candy floss. Jesse had offered to take me home early, he noticed that I wasn't having as much fun as everyone else but I knew he was enjoying himself. I didn't see why he should have to suffer and be miserable as well. Besides, since he got his job he hasn't really been spending much time with his friends so I decided to stay at the fair with everyone but we did leave a little while before everyone else.

Now don't get me wrong, I am really excited to become a mom and have a little family with Jesse. I can't wait to meet my baby but I do wish that I had waited. Everything has happened so quick, I was only with Jesse for three months before we found out I was pregnant. We had only slept together twice and I know we should've used a condom but it wasn't really something we were thinking about at the time. Jesse said that if he could go back in time, knowing everything he knew now, he said he would make the same choices. He wouldn't change this for the world and it was really sweet of him but I think he might have been saying it to make me feel better and to stop me questioning everything.

I looked down at my protruding bump with a smile and rested my hand on my swollen stomach. It was strange to think that right now, there is a small human in there that Jesse and I made together, a small human who is depending on me to look after it and basically do everything for it. It was crazy. It is a lot of responsibility for a 16 year old to handle but I think Jesse and I could do it, even if we were to ever split up, I think we could co-parents really well together. I think the two of us are quite grown up and mature for our age.

I wasn't one of those girls who thought that I was going to live the perfect life and get a white picket fence. I'm quite aware that things can go wrong and one day Jesse and I could split up. I know if that were to ever happen, Jesse would still be there for his baby and he would be a great dad whether we were together or not. I was obviously hoping we stay together forever and ever, and we would beat the odds, stay together and get married but like I said, I know things can go wrong.

I looked at the clock and sighed, maybe I should get up now. It was Saturday and I was supposed to be getting ready so I could meet Jesse in an hour to get something to eat. I dragged myself out of bed and went into the bathroom so I could wash my face, brush my teeth and brush my hair. I really couldn't be bothered to do anything amazing with my hair so I just tied it up and put on some mascara and lip gloss to make myself look a little presentable.

After finishing up in the bathroom I went back into my bedroom so that I could get dressed. I looked through my wardrobe but I just couldn't decide on what to wear. Not many of my clothes really fit me anymore and my maternity jeans were ugly! I looked out the window and saw that it was a nice day and I would get too hot in jeans and t-shirt. I picked up the one maxi dress I owned and slipped it on and put my feet into my sandals. I put everything I would need in my bag and was halfway down the stairs when I heard the doorbell ring out loudly.

I opened the door when I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Jesse standing on the other side of the door with a huge smile playing on his lips, he greeted me with a big kiss.

"Hey babe," He greeted.

"Hey," I replied with a smile just as wide.

"Hey guys. What are you guys doing today?" My mom asked as she came into the hallway from the kitchen.

"We're just going to go for something to eat then maybe, look for a crib." Jesse told her.

Another thing I was really thankful for, Jesse and my mom got on really well. Although when she first found out I was pregnant she refused to talk to him, about him, see him and allow him in the house for 2 months. She didn't speak to me for nearly a month! However, the two of us talked everything out and I told her how good Jesse was being he had gotten a job to help with everything. That softened her up and she agreed to stand by me no matter what, she then agreed to speak to Jesse again.

Jesse and I pulled up to the café but as soon as I walked in I had to rush off to the bathroom. I was only in there a couple minutes before going back to the table.

"I ordered your favourite, banana pancakes with crispy bacon and syrup," He told me.

"You're amazing," I commented as I took a sip of my pineapple juice.

"I have my moments," He replied, looking very pleased with himself.

"Oh. I meant to tell you in the car that I've found some baby names that I like," I told him.

"Oh yeah? What are they?" He questioned.

"I like Charlotte for a girl and Jackson for a boy," I said.

"They're perfect," He replied.

"You don't have to like them, it was just a suggestion," I told him.

"They're perfect." He repeated.

We leaned in and we shared a short and sweet kiss.

After eating our food we made our way to the baby store so that we could find ourselves a crib. I have been looking online but I couldn't find one that caught my eye, I had an idea of what sort of crib I wanted but I couldn't seem to find one. I'm hoping that I will find one today because I was sick and tired of looking around for one, it was stressing me out!

We walked into the store and went over to the crib section straight away.

"I was thinking, maybe we should get a cot bed. That way when the baby gets older we won't have to buy a new bed, it'll save us a lot of money," I told him as we browsed.

I saw it. The perfect cot bed. I smiled at Jesse to let him know I had found one and went straight over to it to look at the label;  
 _Woodhouse Sleigh Cot Bed - White  
$350_

"Jesse," I called and he came over to see what I was looking at "It's perfect," I told him.

We spoke about it for a couple of minutes but Jesse knew how much I wanted it so we decided that we would get it. We went over to the cash register to pay for it, the lady serving looking at us with a look that told me she was judging us. We were young and having a baby. Jesse paid the woman as I scowled at her, he arranged to have the cot bed delivered to my house as it wouldn't fit in the car. We also had to purchase the mattress separate (which I didn't know) and we had to pick out bedding. Jesse sorted out all of the delivery stuff whilst I went to chose the mattress and bedding.

As we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl I decided to get something neutral and if we want to get more bedding when the baby arrives then we will. I decided on something simple, it was white with grey polka dots on it and the label said it was unisex. I brought it to the counter to show Jesse who said I could have it… well the baby could have it. He paid for the bedding which we would take with us now and the cot bed would be delivered in 3 days with the mattress.

After our busy morning we went back to my place to hang out for a little while before Jesse had to go to work. We went straight through to the living room where my mom was sat on the sofa flicking through the TV.

"Hi you two, good day?" She asked as I sat down next to her and Jesse sat on the other side of me.

"Well the baby finally has somewhere to sleep, we got a cot bed," I told her and showed her a couple of pictures I took on my phone.

Jesse got his phone out of his pocket when it made a loud dinging noise, he turned to me with a smile "Is it ok if I go out with the guys tonight?" He asked me.

"Where?" I asked.

"A party at Ray's," He answered.

"I suppose so." I replied.

Jesse knew I hated him going to parties without me and especially if the party was at Ray's. I didn't like Ray very much because he was a bad influence on Jesse and every time the two of them would go to a party together, Jesse would end up getting into a fight or something bad would happen to him.

"Don't you think you should be staying home with your pregnant girlfriend?" My mom questioned.

She also didn't like him going to parties or hanging out with Ray.

"Well, Rose didn't ask me to stay over tonight," He replied to her.

"You normally just invite yourself." She reminded him.

It was true. He normally did take it upon himself to ask my mom if he could stay the night without me knowing.

"I won't go to the party then," He said and I knew he was now in the mood.

"Go to the party," I told him.

My mom for up from her place and went into the kitchen to do something. Jesse then also got up and looked at me apologetically "I'm gonna have to go and get ready for work and then I'll be going straight home to get ready for tonight, I won't see you until tomorrow," He said to me and kissed me before leaving.

I went into the kitchen to see my mom, she was looked at me and shook her head.

"What?" I questioned.

"Now I sound like the nagging mother-in-law," She told me.

"It's easier just to let him go if he really wants to go that badly," I said "I know you don't like it when he goes to parties with Ray, I don't really like him going but I've gotta remember that just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean that he can't still do things… to be honest if he was around me twenty four seven, I'd probably grow bored of him," I explained to her.

"I know you're both still teenagers and you're both still in high school but you've got to understand that when you become parents, it doesn't matter what age you are. Your child comes first and you can't be going out to parties all the time. If he thinks he's going to be acting like this when the baby comes then he's got another thing coming," He stated.

"Mom, I really don't care if he goes to the party tonight. He's not been out with Ray in a long time because he knows I don't like it… he deserves one night with his friend. He works really hard and he's been great to me and he's brought everything for the baby. It's just one night mom, it's ok," I told her.

"I just want what's best for you," She said.

"I know and I appreciate it," I replied and kissed her on the cheek and started heading towards the stairs.

"Before you disappear," She called out and I turned back to look at her "You're dad phoned and said he wanted to call him when you get a minute." She said.

Things between my dad and me have been really rocky since the day I was born. He left my mother when she was three months pregnant with me and he had been in and out of my life ever since. My mom has tried to get us to be really close and have regular contact but there's always been a reason for him to miss visits. He always sent Christmas and birthday cards but I didn't really see him. The first time my dad saw me was when I was nearly 2 years old and then he wasn't around for a few more years. Things are slightly better now because I see him three times a year; Christmas, my birthday and in the summer.

When I told him I was pregnant he flipped out and accused my mother of not raising me right and allowing it to happen, according to him it was all my mother's fault that I got pregnant.

I pointed out to him that he hadn't exactly been the best parent in the world and he was hardly ever around. We argued and he wanted me to come and live with him, he wanted me away from Jesse. I told him that I wasn't leaving Jesse and I wasn't moving away from my mother and my mom stood her ground. She told him that I wasn't leaving, I needed to be around my mother and he finally let it go.

He flew out to see me a couple of months ago and to meet Jesse. He didn't like Jesse and Jesse didn't like him, they were just about civil towards each other and that was only because I threatened to stop speaking to both o them if they didn't sort things out.

"Hey baby girl," He said as he answered the phone.

"Hi dad," I replied.

"How are things with you and the baby?" He asked.

Notice how he left out Jesse and my mom?

"We're good," I answered.

"You're about six months now, huh?"

"Yep,"

"Well I just wanted to talk to you to tell you something. I'm moving. I'm gonna be moving to Montana… half an hour away from your house." He stated.

* * *

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	2. Nine Months

**Broken  
Chapter 2  
Nine Months**

 **Rose**  
My due date was three days ago and I was now so sick and tired of being pregnant. My back hurts, my feet are swollen and sore, I can't get comfortable, I'm always grouchy and just to top it all off; Jesse and I had a big fight four days ago and I haven't heard or seen from him since. The argument I'll admit was completely my fault and I felt guilty but he wasn't exactly innocent either, he had wanted to take me out to dinner and I told him that I didn't feel like going out because I was so uncomfortable and tried, he got angry at me. He told me that I was an ungrateful stupid bitch and I was also ignorant. Of course it pissed me off and made me call him some really nasty names, I slated his mother a little bit but I didn't want to call and apologise because he called me names first.

I told my mom about the fight and she agreed that Jesse shouldn't have called me the names that he did but she also scolded me for the way that I responded. I agreed with her but I still refuse to apologise first, when he apologised for calling the mother of his child all of those names then I'll apologise for what I done. Jesse just really doesn't seem to understand how uncomfortable and tired I am right now, he doesn't know how this feels. I don't have any energy, I don't have the energy to get up and get dressed up to go out for dinner that is probably just going to make me sick a few hours later.

Poor Jesse just really doesn't understand much about pregnancy and how it can make women feel. I can't blame him for being a boy and not understand. When we were fighting the other day he just didn't seem to care about what I was going through or what I felt, which made me even more angry and mad at him. It sounds stupid that we're fighting over such silly things, like going out for dinner when we're about to become parents. We have bigger things to worry about right now and that was one of the other reasons I haven't called him to apologise.

"You heard from Jesse today?" My mom asked as she came into the living room, sitting down next to me.

"Nope," I replied.

"Maybe you should call him," She suggested and I threw her a look "Or not," She added.

"I'm not calling him," I stated.

"Well the two of you need to grow up and forget this stupid argument sooner rather then later because that baby is going to be born any day now. You don't need any added stress," She said.

"Do you not think I know that?" I snapped at her and she looked at me with raised eyebrows "Sorry," I said and she smiled softly.

"I remember what it's like being pregnant. You were six days later and you were doing my head in… kicking me all night, pressing down on my bladder… I didn't want anyone touching me or talking to me. I was so sick of being pregnant but then I went into labour and I was so scared, I wanted nothing more then for you to stay in my belly," She laughed which made me laugh a little too.

"Did you ever want more kids?" I questioned.

"God no!" She exclaimed "You were hard enough," She teased which made me roll my eyes.

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically.

"But I wouldn't change you for the world." She said and kissed my cheek.

* * *

All day my mom and I have been doing everything we can to make me go into labour so I could have this baby, I really don't think I can be pregnant for much longer without going insane. I don't know how women can go through this over and over and over again.

We tried all different things and my mom did them all with me, so I wasn't alone;  
A long walk  
A bumpy car ride  
Eating spicy food  
Castor oil

Nothing seems to be working, my mom did joke that we should call Jesse and tell him to come over so we could have sex, that was apparently the best one… so we read online. I really hope that this baby is on it's way soon… I really cannot take much more of this.

I climbed into bed and was about to drift off to sleep when I felt a sharp pain in my stomach that made me hiss loudly and sit up straight away. The pain passed and I sat still for a couple of minutes but nothing else happened, maybe the baby was on it's way. I laid back down in bed but I couldn't get comfortable. I twisted and turned until I found a position that was more comfortable then the last. I couldn't get to sleep now, I was wide awake. I looked at the clock and saw it was 10:21pm… my mom should still be up.

I got out of bed and headed downstairs where I found my mom sitting in the living room watching some trashy reality TV programme. I sighed and sat down next to her, holding onto my bump.

"You ok?" She asked.

"I just got this-" I started but couldn't finish my sentence as another pain shot through my. I grabbed onto my mom who held onto my hand. I gasped and laid down on the sofa, trying to curl up but my big old stupid belly got in the way. I groaned out loud as the pain didn't go but seemed to get worse. My mom helped me stand up and I saw that she had slipped her shoes on. I took one step but had to stop as I felt something wet trickle down my leg "I've just wet myself or my water just broke," I told her and she looked at me as in shock and surprise.

"Ok, we need to keep calm," She said but I don't know if she was saying it to me or to herself "Stay here whilst I get your hospital bag." She stated and dashed up the stairs to get my bag.

She was gone for a couple of minutes and when she came back down she had not just my hospital bag but my pillow as well. She handed me my phone and told me to call Jesse and my dad whilst she drove us to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital I saw Jesse standing at the entrance of the hospital waiting for us, he rushed over to the car and helped me get out and grabbed the bag whilst my mom found a parking space. We had only got to the door when she joined us and the three of us walked into the hospital together. We were greeted by a nurse who led us through to the maternity unit and to a private room. I was instructed to lay down on the bed and told my doctor would be in shortly.

The nurse wasn't lying. The doctor came in only a few minutes later and she examined me. She told me that I was definitely in labour and that it was my waters that had gone, I hadn't wet myself. She told me that the pain I was feeling was contractions and they were going to get stronger and closer together… wonderful. We went through pain relief options and I decided that I didn't want an epidural, I wanted to feel everything.

Jesse was becoming more and more nervous as the contractions came and went. I'm probably going to have to give him some drugs to calm him down a little bit. My poor mother is trying to comfort both me and Jesse.

Due to the time of night, I wasn't allowed to have any visitors meaning that my dad wouldn't be able to come and see me right now but he said he would be straight in as soon as visiting hours came. Jesse called him parents and updated them and they also said they would come and visit as soon as it was visiting hours.

 _11:00pm_  
 _11:30pm_  
 _12:00am_  
 _12:30am_  
 _1:00am_  
 _1:30am_  
 _2:00am_  
 _2:30am_  
 _3:00am_  
 _3:30am_  
 _4:00am_  
 _4:30am_  
 _5:00am_

"Ok Rose, you're full dilated and it's finally time to push. You're about to meet your baby," She told me happily.

I instantly became scared and I wanted to go home, I'm not sure I'm ready for this… I don't think I'm ever going to be ready for this. I was about to become a mommy and I don't to.

"I wanna go home," I cried to my mom.

"Oh sweetie," She said softly and wiped my tears away "I know you're scared but you gotta do this," She told me.

"Ok, I'm gonna need you guys to hold her legs," The doctor said to Jesse and my mom. Jesse went to one leg and did as instructed and my mom went to the other, she didn't need any instruction "Rose, on your next contraction, I want you to push down into your bottom as if your doing a poop… I know it sounds terrible but you gotta do what you gotta do." She told me and I nodded.

The contraction came and I pushed as hard as I could. I curled my chin into my chest and felt my back lift off the bed as I pushed. She counted down from 10 and I let out a huge breath and threw my head back into the pillow. I took a couple breaths and then the next contraction hit, I did the same as last time as the doctor counted down from 10.

* * *

I've been pushing for 20 minutes and I'm starting to become worried that I wouldn't be able to do this. I was getting more and more tired and weak with each push. It doesn't feel like I'm making any progress and I really don't think I can do this much longer.

"I can see the head!" My mom called out loudly and excitedly.

Jesse took a peak and looked back up at me with a smile and tears in his eyes "Just a little more," He said to me.

I pushed once more and this time when I stopped pushing, a baby's cry filled the air. I threw myself back onto the bed out of exhaustion and I started crying as I heard my baby cry. I looked up as Jesse cut the cord and my mom kissed the top of my head.

"It's a boy!" The nurse said proudly.

The nurse laid the baby flat onto my bare chest so we could get that skin to skin contact.

"Hi Jackson," I said softly and placed a kiss on the top of my sons head "He's perfect." I told my mom and she nodded in agreement.

* * *

It's 7am and although I've only had a couple hours sleep I have never felt better!

Jackson laid fast asleep in his little cot in the bed next to mine and Jesse was constantly hovering over him, making sure he was ok. My mom had taken about a million pictures and looked exhausted sitting in the corner with her camera.

Visiting hours start at 8am and I know as soon as the clock strikes 8am my room is going to be full of people taking more pictures and making more noise then I want to listen to right now.

I can't believe it, I'm a mommy!

Jackson started to stir a little so Jesse picked him up and handed him to me, Jackson started crying so I thought that he might be hungry. I've decided against breast feeding for my own reasons so my mom handed me a bottle she had made for him and I started to feed Jackson.

Jesse started getting another diaper ready and some wipes out so he can change him before everyone shows up to visit him. Just seeing how he is already, I know Jesse is going to be a good dad. I knew he would be but actually seeing it is amazing.

I looked up at the clock and saw that it was 8am already.

The door opened and my dad came in with a wide smile on his face. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and I handed Jackson to my dad who looked smitten with him already.

"Hello handsome," He greeted "What name did you decide on?" He asked me.

"Jackson Anthony and he weighs a good and healthy seven pounds eight ounces," I told him.

"Good boy." He said to Jackson.

My mom took some photos of my dad with Jackson and me. I can't believe how well my dad was with Jackson because he had been so against the pregnancy and so against Jesse from day one. Watching him now as he held and talked to Jackson, I was surprised but I was also a little sceptical because my dad was never a constant figure in my life so I didn't want that to happen to Jackson… I had made a promise to myself that if my dad let Jackson down once then that would be it. No more contact.

Just as my dad was leaving, Jesse's family turned up and they also cooed over Jackson and Jesse, practically ignoring me like they always did. My mom took one picture of them and that was all. She lied and told them that her battery died, I knew that wasn't true. My mom didn't like Jesse's family very much because when they found out I was pregnant they accused me of lying about Jesse being the father. Jesse assured them that he was the father and then his parents came to my house and demanded that I have an abortion, they even went as far as to pay me.

They haven't really spoken to me since I refused but Jesse said that they were sorry and regret everything they said and done… yeah right… I didn't believe it for a second.

"What's his surname?" Jesse's dad asked me.

"Zeklos-Hathaway," I told them.

This isn't going to go down too well.

"Why?" His mom asked, sounding annoyed.

"Because that's what Rose wanted," My mom replied with a warning tone in her voice.

"He's Jesse son… isn't he?" His dad questioned.

"If you don't believe that Jackson is your grandson then you should get out of here," My mom told them.

"Stop fighting, this is the day of my sons birth." Jesse told them, taking the baby out of his mother's arms and handing him back to me "Can I talk to you two outside?" He asked his parents before he ushered them out of the room.

"I've told you already Rose… the Zeklos family are sneaky. Jesse is a good kid but I reckon he'll try and get you to change Jackson's surname to Zeklos, don't do it. Stand your ground and make sure you let Jesse know, his family won't push you around," She told me.

"I won't," I replied "If me and Jesse are ever to get married, I'll change his name then but until then it stays how it is and Jesse knows that," I said and I saw her relax.

The door opened and Jesse came back into the room. He told me that his parents had gone home to calm down, he also said they were sorry but like last time, I don't believe him. I want to hear it from them and until I did hear it from them I wasn't accepting any apology.

"I'm gonna get something to eat. You want anything?" My mom asked and the two of us shook her head then she left the room.

"I love you," Jesse said quietly and kissed me on the lips.

"I love you too." I replied.

* * *

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 **Until next week...**


	3. First Hit

**Broken  
Chapter 3  
First Hit**

 **Rose**  
I can't believe that Jackson is already three months old but what I also can't believe is how much things have changed in the three short months Jackson's been here. Jesse and I have moved into our own little one floored house that was not to far from my mom's house. Jesse has been working double the hours he used to so that he could afford to pay the bills and make sure we had everything we needed. I have had to drop out of school because one thing we can't afford is childcare and we don't have anyone available to look after him whilst the two of us went to school. So I stayed home all day with Jackson and Jesse went to school and work after school and the weekends. I haven't actually left Jackson alone yet and I am dreading the day I have to leave him, I don't think I'm going to be able to do it.

I have to admit that I have the best baby in the world! He was such a good baby that I could hardly believe it; he wakes up, eats, has a bath, gets dressed, naps, eats, gets a diaper change, naps, eats, plays with me, gets a diaper change, eats and then goes to bed.

The best part of it all is that he sleeps from 8pm all the way through to 6am. He's up early but he sleeps all night so I get a good night sleep and so does Jesse when he gets in from work.

Jesse's timetable was more erratic then mine. He had to get up at 5am to drive to work and accept deliveries and then he drives to school, he's there all day and goes to work after school. He's there until close and then he comes home. When he comes home he gets something to eat, showers and comes to bed. We hardly see each other and we don't get much time to spend as a family, the three of us. That was the weekdays.

At the weekends, Jesse works most of the day and the only thing we really do together as a family is the grocery shopping… and that's not fun. We usually end up arguing about what we _do_ need and what we _want_ to buy. In the end I normally go back out to the car with Jackson and Jesse finishes up the grocery shop, he never buys anything I really like but if I say anything, it just causes another argument.

Things with Jesse and I have been more then tense lately, for all of the reasons I just explained. When I got pregnant I don't think Jesse realised how hard it was to raise a baby and how much it changes a relationship. I think he thought that Jackson wouldn't cry, wouldn't poop as much, not need feeding as much… I was just so exhausted from taking care of Jackson all day and Jesse was exhausted from working so we clashed and for the past two weeks, we've been doing nothing but fighting.

Not physical fighting but we shout at each other and it gets really loud but the argument we had last night was one of the worst we've had… maybe even the worst fight yet. It all started because Jesse came home late as he wanted to hang out with his friends after work but he knew I was at home with dinner ready and waiting for him. I told him he was rude and inconsiderate, I wouldn't mind if he had let me know he was going out but he didn't. I ended up smashing the plate on the floor with food going everywhere. He shouted at me, screamed at me and called me all the names he could think of.

During our fight I walked out of the living room and into the bedroom, he came rushing in after me and slammed the door so loud that I thought it was going to come off the hinges. I stood against the wall as we argued and he squared up to me, like I was a dude in a bar he wanted to fight. He stood two inches from my face and put his hands on each side of my head so that I couldn't move. He told me that I was worthless and useless. There was a part of me that thought he was going to hit me but I knew he would never do that to me… no matter what argument we had but last night, I was scared of him.

It took a couple of hours but he apologised and the two of us stayed up all night talking about how things needed to change and how we were both going to become better people and try harder.

Of course I now realised that was all bullshit because he promised me he would be home tonight after work. We would have a nice dinner together and start working things out properly, he was already an hour late, yet again I had his food on the table waiting for him and I was left sitting her alone. I can't believe he's done this to me again, after our long talk last night I thought things were finally changing and starting to get better. More fool me I supposed.

I stood up and grabbed the plates to throw the food away when the door opened. I placed the plates back on the table and sat down. I wasn't going to make this easy for him, he is going to have to grovel to make this right… again.

He sighed when he saw me sitting there and I couldn't help but shake my head at him.

"What?" He asked with annoyance.

"You said you would be home on time tonight… I'm not doing this every night Jesse!" I shouted at him and stood from the table "I'm not making dinner and having you come home late every night, I refuse to do that," I stated angrily.

"Am I not allowed to hang out with friends?" He asked me, just as angrily.

"Yes!" I exclaimed "But don't promise me you'll be home so I'll cook dinner and then not turn up," I told him.

"I can do what the fuck I want. You're not my mother," He said to me.

"Cook your own dinner from now on." I told him and picked up his plate.

I tipped his dinner in the bin and shoved the plate in the sink, making the water go everywhere and stormed past him and into the bedroom. Jesse came storming in seconds later and slammed the door loudly, much like he did last night. I stood at the end of the bed and turned to face him.

"Stop slamming the door. You're going to wake Jackson up!" I shouted at him.

"And you're shouting won't wake him up?" He questioned.

"Shut the fuck up," I stated.

"What did you say to me?" He asked as he took a step closer to me. I instinctively took a step back and looked away from him but took another step closer "What the fuck did you say to me?" He demanded more forcefully and grabbed my arm so I couldn't move away from him.

"Jesse stop!" I pleaded.

"Think you're a tough girl, huh?" He questioned as he pulled me closer to him, I could feel his breath on my face "You wanna take on a man?" He asked me.

I looked up at him with pleading eyes. I didn't want this to go any further then what it was right now. This in itself was going too far.

The back of Jesse's hit me across the face.

It took a couple of minutes for the shook to ware off but when it did, I looked up at Jesse and started crying. I can't believe this. He shoved me backwards and I fell onto the bed, he bent down so his level was level to mine "You talk like that to me again and I swear to God you'll wish for only a slap." He told me.

Jesse stormed out of the room and moments later I heard the front door slam shut. I can't believe what had just happened. Jesse had actually hit me… he hadn't apologised and he hadn't felt bad about it. Looking him in the eyes, I could see that he actually enjoyed it. Was this my life now? Was I going to become the battered housewife? This was never in the cards for me. I'm not supposed to be this person.

Jackson started crying so I wiped my eyes and went into his nursery. He was laying in his cot wide awake, I picked him up and cuddled him close to my body as I walked into the kitchen to make him a bottle. He continued to cry and clung on to me as if his life depended on it, I suppose it did. If I didn't care for him and care for him then… he wouldn't… well he wouldn't be here.

Once Jackson's bottle was made I took a seat on the sofa with him and I started to feed him. He took the bottle happily and I couldn't help but watch him as he ate. He was so beautiful and perfect. He deserved more then this. He deserved to have a happy home with a happy family that can provide him with so much more then a high school drop out mother and an abusive father. I'm scared Jackson will never know what a happy home is.

I started crying again thinking about all of the bad things that could happen in Jackson's future. His eyes started to close so I removed the bottle from his mouth and burped him, it didn't take long and he was soon in a deep slumber. I took him back to the nursery and laid him down in his cot. I placed a kiss on his cheek before leaving.

I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked a mess. My eyes were red and puffy from crying, my cheek was bright red and had three scratches also going down my cheek from Jesse's nails. I still can't believe this happened.

Yes, Jesse and I have our arguments but I never thought he would do something like this to me and I was… hurt, angry, shocked, sad, confused and a whole bunch of other emotions I didn't quite fully understand. This was so crazy and I just didn't know what to do. Should I call my dad? My mom? The police? Shall I just wait for him to come home? Will he apologise? Will things get worse? I don't know what to think or do!

* * *

It's been a couple of hours and Jesse still hasn't come home yet. I was going to stay up and wait for him to try and fix this. I got into bed half an hour ago and was beginning to fall asleep.

The door opened and closed, I sat up in bed as Jesse came into the bedroom. We looked at each other for a couple moments before he started getting undressed. He left his boxers on and crawled into bed next to me as if nothing had happened.

"What happened tonight Jesse?" I questioned.

"What do you mean what happened? I'm sure I didn't hit you hard enough for you to get memory loss," He replied… clearly he was still in a really bad mood.

"You hit me," I stated "How could you do that to me? I'm the mother of your child and-"

"You shouldn't piss me off," He said "I go to work everyday so you and Jackson can have everything you have and all you do is nag at me and tell me what I'm doing wrong," He added.

"That's not true." I replied.

"I was getting angry again so I got out of the bed and started pacing the floor "I'm looking after your son full time, on my own because you're never here! I appreciate you going to work, however, it takes more then a pay check to be a father and a boyfriend. You need to spend time with us, look after your son, treat me with respect… you need to keep your promises!" I shouted at him and started crying, once more, like a pathetic little girl.

He got out of bed and stood on the opposite side to me "I'm going to work everyday to pay the bills, pay for the food, pay for Jackson's things and the car… what do you do all day? Sit on your fat ass and do nothing?" He asked.

"Do nothing? I look after our son all day!" I shouted back at him.

"Our son? A minute ago he was my son," He responded.

"If you wasn't ready for all of this then you shouldn't have laid down and had sex with me!" I shouted.

"So this is my fault?" He questioned "Sometimes, I wonder why I'm still here. I don't know why I didn't just run for the hills when you told me that you was pregnant." He stated.

I rushed round to where he was standing and pushed him towards the door "Go then! If you don't wanna be here then leave" I told him and pushed him again.

He grabbed my arms and pinned me against the wall, I slammed my head against the wall and groaned in pain "I'm not going anywhere, this is my apartment. You can leave but Jackson isn't going anywhere," He said then threw me down on the floor.

"What's happened to you?" I asked him.

"You!" He screamed "You drive me crazy!" He added.

I moved from where I was laying and stood up against the dresser. I put my hand to the back of my head but it wasn't wet so I'm sure it's not bleeding but it did hurt. I was going to have a big bump there for a few days. I watched as Jesse climbed back into bed, he turned the lamp off.

What was wrong with him?  
When did he become this person?

Jesse used to be the best boyfriend in the world, he treated me like a princess and made sure both Jackson and I were taken care of and had everything we needed. I didn't nag him all the time, I just wanted him to spend some time with us… Jackson hardly knows who he is and it's sad because Jesse doesn't really know him either. Since the first night home from the hospital with Jackson, he just doesn't seem to know what to do with him. When Jackson starts crying, Jesse doesn't know how to calm him down and he just gets frustrated.

I didn't fancy being in the same room as Jesse so I left and went into Jackson's room, I made sure he was ok before going into the living room and laying down on the couch. I grabbed the blanket that was hanging on the back of the couch. I covered myself with it and cried myself to sleep as I thought about the past 24 hours.

Today Jesse had slapped me, pinned me against a wall, made me hit my head against a wall, shouted in my face and threw me down on the floor. I thought when he got home from our first argument he would apologise for what happened and we could move on. I didn't think he would hurt me the first time, let alone everything else. I was so wrong.

* * *

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	4. A Mothers Promise

**Broken  
Chapter 4  
A Mother's Promise**

 **Rose**  
It's been three months since Jesse first hit me and since then things have gone from bad from worst. Since that day I have been covered in bruises and because of this I don't go out anymore, not even grocery shopping at the weekend. I haven't been to see my parents and when they ring to arrange to come round to my place I make excuses. They know something is wrong but they've decided to give me my space but I know there is only so long I can hold them off, they will just show up one day on my doorstep and I don't know how long it will be until then but it won't be long.

My day is now just spent at home with Jackson. Jesse has turned me into a housewife, the one thing I never wanted to become. I wanted to make something of myself for Jackson, I wanted to prove to Jackson that even though I had him young I was still able to give him the life he deserves. I want to get back into my education and get that diploma, that's all I want but Jesse is making it difficult for me to do that right now. I don't have the funds and I can't go out covered in bruises all the time. Even if I do online school, Jesse won't help out and I can't do it all on my own.

Jesse thinks that this is how life is going to be but he's wrong because I've made plans to leave with Jackson and never come back… ever. My best friend from school, Lissa, has helped me. She moved to Oregon after graduating school and works part time at her parents law firm whilst at college. I told her that I wanted to move away from Jesse and start fresh due to some complications in our relationship. I didn't go into detail what happened but I'm sure she figured it out, she's not stupid.

Lissa spoke to her parents and they have been very generous. They have given me a job at the law firm as a personal assistant to her mom, Rhea, they have also decided to allow me to rent an apartment they own. We went through all the financial stuff and they promised that I would be able to afford to live there, take care of Jackson, put him in day care whilst I'm at work and pay the bills with money still left over. I am forever grateful to them and Lissa for helping me out. I will never be able to thank them for it, they haven been amazing.

The plan was to keep everything quite from everyone I know until I was moved in and settled. I would make a call to both my parents before I leave to explain to them I'm leaving Jesse and got myself set up somewhere else and then I would ditch my phone. I can't have Jesse tracking me in any way shape or form. I just wanted to get out of here and start my life with my son without worrying about Jesse coming home from work and wanting to beat me for something.

Speak of the devil, he was due home any minute now and I could feel my hands getting sweaty. I had horrible and nervous butterflies going around in my stomach. I was scared about him coming home and what treatment I might be in for today.

I looked down at Jackson who was playing on his play mat and felt relief that he was still awake. Jesse won't shout at me or hit me until Jackson is asleep, Jesse doesn't want to do anything in front of him but I don't understand why. However, I'm glad Jackson doesn't witness the abuse, I don't want him growing up thinking that's normal.

The door opened and closed. I looked up and saw Jesse walking towards Jackson with a wide smile on his face. He picked his son up from the play mat and sat down on the couch with him, Jesse turned to look at me with a face of thunder for a second before turning back to look at his son.

"You tired?" Jesse said to Jackson as he yawned, he looked at me with a frown on his face "Get him ready for bed." He ordered.

I didn't respond with words, I just took Jackson from Jesse and took him into his room to get him ready for bed. He had a bath earlier so all he needed now was to have his diaper changed, his night feed and put in his pyjamas. It shouldn't take too long and he should be in bed and asleep within the hour.

"Have you had an exciting day today buddy?" I asked Jackson who gave me a gummy grin in response "You are just too cute." I commented.

* * *

Jackson was fast asleep in his cot, he went down fairly easy tonight. Of course, I did everything for him. I made his bottle and fed him. I changed his diaper and I put him in his pyjamas and laid him down to sleep. Whilst I was doing all of that, Jesse ate the dinner I made him… a dinner I didn't even get a 'thank you' for and not a 'thank you' for taking care of Jackson all day and putting him down for the night.

Jesse was laid down on the sofa with his dirty plate and empty glass on the coffee table. I had just finished the washing up. I sighed to myself and out of Jesse's earshot, I grabbed his plate and glass off the table and took them to the sink to wash up.

"Was dinner ok?" I asked Jesse.

"It was cold," He replied.

"It shouldn't have been. It had just come out of the oven when you came in," I told him.

"Are you calling me a liar?" He questioned.

"Of course not." I answered.

Jesse got up from the couch and stormed into the bathroom, he closed the door and I heard the shower turn on. I had at least ten minutes to sit down and take a breath before he came out of the bathroom and I had to find something to do. He doesn't like me sitting down, apparently if I'm sitting down then I'm not doing anything and I'm being a 'lazy housewife'. That causes another argument and it just leads to more problems.

The water turned off and Jesse came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist "Has there been another man here?" He asked me angrily.

"No," I replied.

"Then why has my razor been moved? I left it in the drawer next to the bath and now it's on the side of the sink," He told me and took a couple steps towards me. I stepped back but walked straight into the kitchen counter. I put my arms out to try and put a little distance between us "Tell me the truth you little slut. What man was here?" He asked me.

"Jesse I swear, there's no one," I told him "I used it to shave my legs earlier today. I have no more razors, you threw them all out last week," I explained and lifted the leg of jeans to show him my now smooth legs "It was just me, I would never bring another man into this apartment," I told him truthfully.

"Liar!" He shouted at me and pushed me down to the floor, I hit my head on the floor as I hit it. He stood over me with his fists clenched at his side "Tell me who it was!" He shouted.

"No one… I swear. I'll swear on anything you want." I pleaded with him. His fist connected with my face and he muttered something under his breath before storming to the bedroom. He slammed the door closed behind him which made me jump, I looked down and saw my blood spilling onto the floor from my split lip.

Tonight was the last night that I would allow this to happen to me, tomorrow I am leaving Jesse and this state. Everything has been planned. Jesse was going to leave for work at 5am, as normal, and as soon as he would leave I would get up and start getting ready. I would pack up mine and Jackson's stuff but only the stuff we would really need and make sure everything was ready to be loaded into the moving van which was arriving at 8am. I would leave a note for Jesse telling him that I had left him and to leave me alone for good, I'll make sure I can't be traced by getting a new phone and new email address.

I know the plan seems a little crazy and out there but I know this is the only way that I could leave and be free of him. Of course, I always had that niggle in my mind that he would find me or find out my plan before I had the chance to leave and stop me. I know if Jesse found out he would go to extreme lengths to keep me and Jackson here… for good.

All I've ever wanted for Jackson was for him to have a happy family and have the best life possible and that's not possible staying here. I know Jesse would never hurt Jackson but it's not fair to have him listen to us arguing, to see his mother covered in bruises and hear his dad use all the foul language that he uses. He needed to have a stable and happy home, away from Jesse and all of his influences.

I looked up at the clock and saw that it was getting late, I needed to get to bed because I have a big day tomorrow and I need my rest. I cleaned up my split lip first before going into the bedroom, I saw Jesse laying on the bed with just his boxers on. He looked at me when I came in and watched me as I stripped my clothes off and put them in the hamper. I opened the drawer to get my pyjamas out but Jesse's hand grabbed mine and stopped me.

"Lay down on the bed," He told me calmly but forcefully.

I didn't want to argue with him and end up with more bruises on my body, most of them were starting to heal up and I don't want to make it worse. I took my panties and bra off before laying down on the bed like Jesse wanted me to.

Jesse climbed onto the bed next to me and stroked my hair softly, like he loved me or something, his hands left my hair and started travelling down my body. I could see his erection twitching, waiting for what was to come. I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling as Jesse's lips landed on my neck.

* * *

Jesse rolled off me and started catching his breath. I quickly wiped away a single tear that his slid down my cheek. I calmed myself down and got up off the bed, I needed to have a wash and try to make myself feel not so… dirty. I put my dressing gown on before exiting the bedroom and going straight into the bathroom.

I cleaned myself up but it didn't make me feel any better, I still felt dirty and used. I splashed some water over my face to cool me down and looked at myself in the mirror. How did I become this person? I've become this weak and quiet little person whereas before, I was so strong, powerful and at school there were some people that were scared of me. If they could see me now, they would laugh at me. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

After washing up I walked into Jackson's room and saw that he was fast asleep and snoring lightly. I chuckled lightly as I heard him snoring. I wanted to give him a cuddle but I didn't want to disturb him so instead I brought the rocking chair next to his cot bed, I stuck my fingers through the bars of the cot bed. As soon as Jackson felt my finger, he clasped his small hand around it tightly. Leaving tomorrow is the best choice, I need to get Jackson out of here and keep him safe.

As a mother, it was my job to protect, love, nurture, care for and love my child… leaving my sons father may seem stupid to some people but if they knew what Jesse was really life and the things he did to me… I wonder if everyone would still think that I was being stupid? I smiled as Jackson scrunched his face up in some little cute way and then relaxed it. He stayed fast asleep and a small smile played on his lips, he must be dreaming about something.

"Jackson, I love you so much and I know that every child needs a dad but you are so much better off without him. When you become old enough to understand, I will tell you why I left and why he was never in your life. I won't burden you with the details until the time is right. You are going to know what it's like to have an amazing mother and I'm going to do my best to give you everything you could ever want… I promise." I explained to him and placed a small kiss on his hand.

* * *

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	5. Starting Fresh

**Broken  
Chapter 5  
Starting Fresh**

 **Rose**  
Jesse's alarm woke me from my deep sleep. I kept my eyes closed and felt the bed shift as Jesse got out. I heard him shuffling around the room and getting his clothes out the drawers, which wouldn't be here when he got home tonight. He turned the lamp on so I turned over so my back was now to Jesse, I kept my eyes closed so I didn't blow my cover. I heard Jesse shuffling towards me, his hand landed on my shoulder but I stayed still and still kept my eyes closed. I felt his lips land on my cheek and then he left the room, the bedroom door closed gently and then I heard Jesse making noise in the kitchen.

I'm assuming he was making himself a coffee before he had to go. Time seemed to go past as slow as snails. Was Jesse taking his time because he knew? Surely not. If he knew then I'm sure he would've done something about it by now… no, he doesn't know. God, I'm so nervous. My palms are sweating like crazy and my heart was pounding inside my chest.

Should I really be going? What if Jesse can change? Can I bring Jackson up on my own? If I leave, will Jesse ever find me? Will Jackson grow up hating me for not having his father in his life? When Jackson is older, will he understand why I had to leave? What if I can't make Jackson happy? Can I pull this whole thing off? Can I do this?

The front door closed and I sat up in bed and looked around the bedroom. This was my home, we had good memories here as well as bad ones. Jesse wasn't all bad. I remember when he was caring, loving, supportive and decent. Maybe it's all my fault. Maybe I done something that made him turn out like this, he said himself that it was me driving him crazy… what if he was right?

I looked down at my arm and saw all the bruises covering them… no… I can't be here. It's not safe, I need to get Jackson out of here and start fresh somewhere. I can't be around Jesse at all because, I know I'll fall back into this routine and I don't want that. I need to go.

I got out of bed and grabbed the suitcases which were under the bed and I started putting my clothes inside, thankfully most of them were already folded from being in the drawers so I didn't have to waste time with all of that. I didn't have many clothes so it didn't take me long to pack them but once they were all packed I felt sadness, I was really leaving. This was happening.

Once I put my suitcases by the front door I went to Jackson's room and woke him up, he wasn't happy with me at all. I washed him, dressed him, fed him, burped him and put him back down for a nap in his bouncer before starting on his room. I told the removal company that some furniture was still going to be assembled when it went into the moving van, that said that it was ok as long as there was nothing in the drawers, wardrobe and the cot bed had not bed covers in them. I put all of Jackson's clothes in another suitcase before getting the boxes I hid under his cot bed, and putting his toys in them.

Jackson's bedroom didn't take as long as I thought it would so I went into the kitchen and packed up all of his food, bottles, formula and anything else I found in there belonging to him. I wouldn't leave any of Jackson's things here… I want Jesse to know that Jackson and I are gone and never coming back. It's going to be as if we never existed.

* * *

I looked up at the clock and saw that I had half an hour until the removal truck came, Jackson was still asleep so I decided this was the best time to say my goodbye's. I'll ring my parents and tell them I'm leaving state and will call them when I'm settled but first I'm going to write a note to Jesse and explain to him why;

 _Jesse  
When I first laid my eyes on you, I couldn't believe how hot you were. When you asked me out I couldn't believe it, there were so many girls after you and you wanted me. I was so happy and I started daydreaming about what our children would look like and planning out our wedding. You were my first boyfriend, my first love and my first and only lover. You were such an amazing boyfriend to me, you were such a gentleman. I remember when you used to pull out chairs for me and open doors for me._

 _When we found out I was pregnant you really stepped up. You did everything you could to take care of me and Jackson. You went to all of my appointments, you were at the birth and you seemed so happy. Those couple of days in the hospital were perfect and I felt like we would beat the statistics, stay together and be a real family forever._

 _Then you changed, you became nothing more then a bully. You controlled every aspect of my life and treated me as if I was your servant. You stopped spending time with us and bonding with Jackson and then you started beating me… I never thought you would hurt me like that, I always thought you were one of the good guys. I trust you and looked to you for protection but you just used me as your punch bag. I refuse to raise my son in that kind of home._

 _All of this has made me realise that I deserve more and so does Jackson, that's why I've made the decision to leave you, leave this apartment and leave this state. No one knows what you did to me and why I'm leaving but I promise you, as soon as I'm settled I will be telling me parents everything… expect a visit from them. Your parents won't be able to hide you, you know how powerful my father is and what he can do._

 _I kills me to know that we could've been good. We could've beaten the odds of teenage parents. We could've been a real happy family. You ruined all of that from the first time you hit me and now you will pay the ultimate price. You will never see me or Jackson again and you will never be able to control me, shout at me or beat me ever again._

 _If by some miracle you come looking for me and find me, I promise you that I will call the police and I will make sure that you are thrown in jail and they throw away the key. You have to live with what you did for the rest of your life. You did this, no one else._

 _Jackson is going to have an amazing life and one day I_ _'_ _m going to meet someone who will love me and Jackson more then you ever did. He will look after us. Jackson will call him daddy. He will be a much better man then you ever were and ever will be. I feel generally sorry for the woman that ends up with you because she_ _'_ _s going to have a sad, lonely, miserable and controlled life.  
_

 _You_ _'_ _re a monster._

 _The one that got away  
Rose_

I left the note on the coffee table so he could see it when he came in, he was going to know the second he walked in the house but at least he'll know for definite when he sees this. He needs to understand what he done and know he will never see Jackson again, I won't allow it. Jackson is my son and I will do what I can to take care of him and keep him safe.

My phone sat on the table and I picked it up, dialling my moms number;

"Rose? Is everything ok?" She questioned tiredly.

"Everything's fine… I just need to tell you something," I told her.

"Ok, what is it?"

"I'm leaving Jesse. Jackson and I are moving out of state and we're going to begin fresh," I said.

"What? What are you talking about?" She questioned in a panic.

"I can't talk right, I just wanted to tell you. When I'm settled in my new place, I'll call and I'll explain everything but please… I just need some time to adjust to life without Jesse. Trust me mom, it's better for me and Jackson if we leave," I explained.

"Ok I get that. You're leaving Jesse and want to get away from him but-"

"I have to go. I'll call soon." I said and ended the call.

Before she had a chance to call back, I dialled my dad's number and hit call. It rang a couple of times but he didn't answer and it went straight to voicemail. This should be easier then telling my mom.

"Hi dad. I'm sure you're gonna get a call from mom but I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving Jesse. I'm taking Jackson and leaving the state. I've got something set up so I'll be ok. Please just give me some time to get settled and adjusted to my new life and I promise I'll call you and mom to explain everything. I'll tell you what happened and why I left. I'm really sorry to be doing this out of the blue but it's what's best for Jackson and me… I'll call soon."

* * *

The front door knocked and I thanked God, I opened the door and saw two friendly looking men on the other side of the door with smiles on their faces. They showed me their employee badges and I let them in. I told them what was going in the van and what was staying, I think they knew I was making a secret escape because they seemed empathetic with me. The youngest of the two men saw the bruises on my arms, I gave him a warm smile before covering them up.

I tried putting my suitcases in the removal van as well but they told me to just sit down and take it easy, they would take care of everything. All of the movement and talking woke Jackson up and he was in a grouchy mood. I sat with him on the sofa and did my best to calm him down but I think he was just sad to be leaving. This was his home and his father lived here, I know Jackson is only a baby but I think he knows what's going on around him.

"The drawers in your bedroom, what would you like us to do with the other clothes in there?" The older of the two asked.

They were Jesse's clothes "Erm… just throw them on the bed." I answered and he gave a small nod before going back into the bedroom.

Everything was packed up and ready to leave quicker then I thought. I did one more sweep of the house to make sure that I didn't leave anything of mine and more importantly Jackson's behind and then I walked outside with him.

The old lady that lived next door, Iris, she saw us as she was collecting her paper. She walked over to me and hugged me. She was a really nice lady who helped me out with Jackson when we first moved here. When Jesse started becoming controlling and abusive I stopped visiting her and opening the door to her. I felt bad because she was so good to Jackson and me but I couldn't have her knowing what was going on… although, there's a part of me that thinks she already knew.

"Thank you for everything Iris… I really do appreciate it," I told her as we stood there, still hugging.

"You're such a brave woman," She replied.

We pulled away from the hug and she placed a kiss on the top of Jackson's head and I realised that she was crying. As soon as I saw her tears, I couldn't help but start crying as well "I didn't see or hear anything," She said and I knew what she meant. When Jesse comes home later, she's going to tell him she doesn't know where I went. She didn't see or hear me leaving. She was going to cover for me.

"I'll write as soon as I'm settled." I promised and hugged her once more.

* * *

 **Sorry for not posting yesterday but it was Christmas Day, hopefully you can forgive me,**  
 **I hope you all had a wonderful day and got everything you asked Santa Claus for,**  
 **I got Shawn Mendes tickets!**

 **Thank you all for reading, as always,**  
 **Please do follow, favourite and review,**  
 **It will be the icing on the cake after such a wonderful Christmas.**

 **Can you believe that the next time I post,**  
 **It will be 2017!**  
 **AAAHHHH!**

 **I wish you all a safe, happy and amazing New Year.**

 **XXX**


	6. Tall Dark And Handsome

**Broken  
Chapter 6  
Tall Dark And Handsome**

 **Rose**  
It has been a whole month since I left Jesse and I really couldn't be happier. Jackson is now 7 months old and he is doing amazingly well; he is sitting up on his own, his first tooth has come through and he is nearly crawling. I was worried that Jackson would miss Jesse and he would be sad but it is as if he never existed in the first place. Things have been going so well for both me and Jackson since we moved here. The apartment we live in is great, I love going to work, Jackson enjoys going to daycare and playing with the other children and I feel like I am really becoming myself again, the old Rose is started to come through. Lissa commented on it just the other day, she said she was glad to see me smiling and making jokes again, this move was the best thing I could have ever done.

If I had stayed with Jesse, then I would still be getting beaten by him and we would be arguing all day. Eventually I would either end up in hospital or dead and Jesse would be in prison. It would not have ended well and in the end it would be Jackson that would have suffered. He would have had to be raised by my parents or worse case scenario, he would have had to go into the care system. I couldn't allow that to happen and that is why I left, I left for Jackson, I didn't leave for me. Jackson can now grow up drama free without arguing, shouting, swearing and fights.

The only thing left for me to do now is call my parents and explain everything to them, I haven't had the chance to talk to them about everything. They guessed that I was with Lissa or Lissa knew where I was so they have been calling her to talk to me but Lissa has been holding them off for me. It's my day off work today so I plan on calling them today and talking to and letting them know exactly what has been going on. I'm sure my dad will be really interested to know what Jesse did to me and my mom… well it's her you need to be more scared of. Jesse better be in hiding because if he's not, they will come after him and it will not be pretty, of course, I don't want them getting into trouble by doing something to him and I will let them know that but they're going to want to speak to him at the very least. My parents are going to be so pissed at him, Good luck to him, he is going to need it.

I am still worried that Jesse will track me down and bring back the drama into my lives. He comes from a wealthy family that have a lot of contacts, I'm sure if he really wanted to, he could probably track me down somehow. I'm hoping that he will stay away and just let me and Jackson get on with our lives. He's caused too much misery already and I don't want Jackson to see him angry or hear him shouting and swearing again. I need to be stronger when it comes to Jesse and I know that, I need to stick up for myself more and if he ever does find us again, I can't show him any weakness. I need to prove to him that he can't bully me anymore and prove to him I don't need him. He needs to know he can't treat me that he did, he needs to know that I am a much stronger person.

Whilst Jackson grows up, I am going to make sure that he doesn't grow up like Jesse. I know I can be a good mother, I am a good mother but I will know I've achieved being a good mother when I see Jackson when he has grown up and he proves what a good man he is. I don't want Jackson to ever think he can treat women the way that Jesse treated me, I will show Jackson how to treat women; you show them respect, you hold open doors, you pull out chairs, you tell her how beautiful she is no matter what and you treat her like a Queen. That's what I want from Jackson and I will make sure he understands that.

I'm not silly or delusional, I know that as Jackson grows up he is going to make mistakes and he won't be perfect. I want to guide him and show him. If I left it up to Jesse to raise Jackson, he would grow up thinking that women are just objects and it was ok to abuse them. Women are equals but Jesse doesn't believe that and I can't have my son growing up like that. I am going to do my best by him and make sure that he lives his life in the correct way.

I looked down at Jackson who was sleeping my arms, he had just had his lunch and he always gets sleepy after eating. I guess now would be a good a time as any to call my parents and explain things to them. I know that they are worried about me and Jackson, I haven't spoken to them since I called to say I was leaving Jesse and from what Lissa has told me, they seem really worried about me and Jackson.

I put Jackson in his cot before going back into the living room and calling my mom from my cell phone.

"Rose! Finally, what is going on?" She asked me worriedly.

"Hi mom," I greeted.

"Are you ok? Is Jackson ok?" She questioned.

"Mom we're fine and I'm sorry for not calling sooner but things have been a bit crazy," I told her.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Things went really bad with Jesse. We started having some problems, big problems, and I had to leave. Something really bad would have happened if I had stayed. I had to get out of there and move away," I said.

"Did he hurt you Rose? Did he hurt Jackson?" She asked angrily.

"He didn't do anything to Jackson but things got physical with us. He hit me a few times and I had to get away. I didn't want it to get worse and I didn't want anything to happen to Jackson," I said "I'm sorry that I worried you and dad but I had to get settled first and everything," I added.

"Are you with Lissa?" She asked.

"Sort of. Her parents have given me a job at the law firm as a PA to her mom. I'm also renting an apartment from her parents, they've renting it to me for a good price and I'm able to afford everything. Jackson is in daycare and he loves it, Lissa and her parents have been really good to me. Jackson and I are doing really well here," I explained.

"I'm glad to hear that. All I want is for you and Jackson to be safe and happy," She told me.

"I would love for you to come and visit to see Jackson. I think he misses you," I said.

"Oh sweetie, I would love that. I've missed the two of you,"

"Look mom, I wish I could talk to you a bit longer but I need to call dad and explain to him. I'm sure he'll call you straight after with plans to maim and hurt Jesse. As much as I hate him, I don't want you and dad getting in trouble and doing something stupid," I explained and I heard his sigh "I mean it," I added.

"Ok," She replied.

"Good. I'll call you later, I love you,"

"I love you too sweetie."

I ended the call and took a deep breath. She took that better then I thought she would but I think it's just a front. I think she is shaking with anger and cursing Jesse to the high heavens. No doubt she'll be waiting for a call from my dad with a grand plan to hurt him.

It took a couple of minutes to grow up the courage but I eventually called my dad and he answered on the first ring.

"Hello Rose," He said calmly.

"Hi dad, are you ok?" I asked.

"I'm fine, just worried about you and my grandson. Are you both ok? You just upped and left," He said.

"I know dad and that's why I'm calling. I just wanted to explain things to you, I think you might understand more but you have to promise not to get mad and do something stupid," I started. Dad didn't reply so I took that as my signal to continue "Things with Jesse got really bad and… well he started to hit me and abuse me. I couldn't let Jackson be around that and I knew Jesse would never let me leave, especially with Jackson, so I left when he went to work. He knew nothing about it," I explained to him.

"He hurt you?" He asked angrily.

"It's fine dad,"

"It's not fine!" He shouted.

"I got away. Me and Jackson are fine, we have a life here and we're doing good. I have a job, an apartment and Jackson is in daycare. I promise you that we're ok," I told him.

"Why didn't you just tell me? You know I would have fixed it for you," He said.

"I know but I just wanted to move away and start again,"

"And you're safe?" He questioned.

"Very safe. I work at Lissa's parents law firm and I'm renting my apartment from them. They have been really good to me. If I need anything then they are there straight away to help me," I promised.

"Well that's something I suppose," He commented "Have you called your mother?" He asked.

"Just got off the phone with her and I will tell you what I've told her. I do not want the two of you concocting some plan to maim and hurt Jesse. I don't want the two of you getting in trouble, what's done with Jesse is done and he doesn't know where I am. He's not seeing Jackson again and I'm moving on with my life," I explained.

"If you say so," He said.

"I do say so," I replied.

"Ok sweetie. Look I have to go, I have another call," He stated.

"If it's mom, remind her what I said," I told him.

"Of course. I love you sweetie,"

"I love you too dad."

Another call done.

As it was my day off, I thought that maybe I should use this day to do things that I really need to get done, like go grocery shopping. It always takes me a while to do all the grocery shopping and Jackson doesn't like sitting still that long so he is going to the daycare centre for a couple of hours so I can get everything done. It's only 2pm so it shouldn't be that busy in there, I should be able to get in and out before all the school children get out and all the parents are in traffic after picking them up. I probably should have gone earlier but I had to call my parents, I had to clean up, I had to get myself and Jackson ready. It's not easy to just go out anymore.

I put Jackson in his car seat and took him out to the car and made sure he was secure before I got in the car myself. I turned around to look at Jackson and saw him playing with the butterfly toy that hangs above the car seat. He was happy enough, I smiled as I started the car and started the drive towards the daycare centre, he was only going to be there for a couple of hours but I hate leaving him, I like having him close to me but it's just so much easier to get the shopping done without him there.

The drive was only 20 minutes as there was no traffic and the drop off was only a couple of minutes. As soon as I pulled up in the car, Jackson was so happy when he saw where he was. He started kicking his legs in excitement and laughing, when I got him out of the car he was moving around so much it was hard to hold onto the car seat.

When I left the daycare centre I had a large smile on my face. Jackson was so excited to go in and play, he knows that daycare means playtime and he's fully rested from his nap so he was so happy. I liked seeing him happy and that's all I ever want for him.

After leaving the daycare centre I drove to the supermarket, again, as there wasn't much traffic it wasn't a long drive and I got there in no time. There wasn't many cars in the parking lot either so I am hoping I'll be in and out and have enough time to go home and put the groceries away before having to pick up Jackson from daycare.

Once the car was parked I grabbed a trolley and headed into the supermarket. It was fairly empty which was good for me. I walked up the first aisle and grabbed what was on my list, I wasn't taking much notice of where I was going as I was reading my list. I took a few more steps and felt the trolley hit something, I looked up and saw that I had hit a person, a man, he was tall dark and handsome.

* * *

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	7. First Meeting

**Broken  
Chapter 7  
First Meeting**

 **Rose  
** When I left the daycare centre I had a large smile on my face. Jackson was so excited to go in and play, he knows that daycare means playtime and he's fully rested from his nap so he was so happy. I liked seeing him happy and that's all I ever want for him.

After leaving the daycare centre I drove to the supermarket, again, as there wasn't much traffic it wasn't a long drive and I got there in no time. There wasn't many cars in the parking lot either so I am hoping I'll be in and out and have enough time to go home and put the groceries away before having to pick up Jackson from daycare.

Once the car was parked I grabbed a trolley and headed into the supermarket. It was fairly empty which was good for me. I walked up the first aisle and grabbed what was on my list, I wasn't taking much notice of where I was going as I was reading my list. I took a few more steps and felt the trolley hit something, I looked up and saw that I had hit a person, a man, he was tall dark and handsome.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," I told him apologetically.

"Don't worry, it's ok," He replied with an accent that I couldn't quite place.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked.

"No you didn't. Really, I'm fine," He answered with an amused smile playing on his lips.

"I'm really sorry, this is probably going to sound really rude but… where are you from?" I questioned.

"You noticed my accent then," He guessed "I'm originally from Siberia," He told me.

"Isn't it really cold there?"

"Only in the winter," He answered "Now that you have asked me something personal, let me ask you something. What is your name?" He asked.

"Rose… my name is Rose," I replied.

"I'm Dimitri," He introduced.

I looked down and took notice of my watch and the time ticking away. I wish I could stay here and talk to this man all day, it's nice to have an adult conversation for once but I'm on a time limit and I have to collect Jackson from Daycare… could you imagine what would happen if I could just stay here and talk to him all day? Something tells me that Dimitri is a really interesting man who has some amazingly interesting stories to tell… God damn it!

"I'm really sorry, I wish I could stay and talk but I have to go. I have to get this shopping done and pick my son up," I told him but I was sure he didn't care "Again, I am really sorry for hitting you with the trolley. I promise to look where I'm going next time," I promised.

"I'll hold you to that Roza." He said with a smile.

Roza?

I couldn't do anything more then smile back at him like an idiot and I walked straight past him. I turned into the next aisle and let our a huge breath that I didn't know I was holding. That man, Dimitri, he was so hot and his accent just made him that more sexy. I could tell by looking at him that he was older then me, he had to be at least in his mid 20s but he was just… I swear if God himself had carved a man this is what he would look like. I've never seen someone so chiselled and perfect looking before in my life, I didn't even know someone that perfect even existed. His girlfriend/wife or whatever he has is very lucky.

I shook my head to get rid of the very inappropriate thoughts swirling through my head of Siberian born Dimitri. I looked down at my shopping list again but I couldn't really ready what was on the list, my thoughts were still clouded by Dimitri and what he might look like without a shirt… what a sight.

 _Stop it Rose!_ I shouted in my head at myself.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked down at my list again, this time it was clear and I knew what it was I needed from this aisle.

I managed to complete my shopping in the second aisle and moved on to the baby/toddler section to get what I needed for Jackson. Of course the first things on the list were diapers, wipes and formula. I still had some baby jar food at home for Jackson so I didn't need to pick up any of that. Jackson is a really fussy eater and will only eat three different dinners from the jar food so I bulk buy what he likes, I always make sure it lasts me a while. I grabbed a couple of other things I had written down that I needed for him, it just seems that the older he gets the more stuff he needs.

I turned into the refrigerated aisle and I saw him, Dimitri that is, he was looking between two different types of cheese. I wanted to play it cool but before I had the chance he looked up. He must have sensed me staring or something, _way to play it cool Rose_. I sighed and headed down the aisle and towards the Dimitri… which just happened to be where I needed to get what was on my list, what a coincidence.

"At least you are looking where you are going this time," He joked as I passed him.

"Very funny," I replied with a smile.

"You know, I thought your husband or boyfriend might be here helping you with the shopping," He said but it sounded more like he was fishing for information.

"I'm single," I replied "I raise my son alone," I added.

"Oh, I see," He said "Well that might work in my favour actually," He commented.

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"I was kind of hoping to get your phone number and possibly take you on a date one night," He told me.

"You want to take me out?" I asked him.

"Yes I do. You seem very funny and kind," He answered.

"And the fact that I have a son doesn't bother you at all?" I asked and he shook his head "You have guts," I joked "Erm… ok. Yeah, you can have my number then call me and I might even say yes to your date," I told him.

He smiled widely and happily as he handed me his phone so I could put my number in it. I entered the number and was going to enter my name but then I saw that he had done it already… _Roza_ was typed in.

I handed the phone back to Dimitri who seemed nervous or embarrassed, I couldn't tell which but I had an inkling that even though he looked as good as he did, he didn't ask girls out very often. He seems like quite an intense sort of person maybe… definitely not someone who dates lots of girls and sleeps around. It was quite refreshing actually, I don't think Dimitri is going to want me to send him naughty pictures or anything, he seems like the type to want the real thing.

"I'll let you get on," Dimitri said and I nodded, not knowing what else to say and he turned and walked away in the other direction.

"Bye Dimitri." I said but I don't think he heard me.

Thank God that shopping is done with. This shopping trip was definitely better then most because I met Dimitri but I can't stand all of the queuing and people aisle hogging as they talk to people they haven't seen in a while. They stand in the middle of the aisle making it hard to get around them. Then there are always kids running around bumping into your trolley or trying to push through the queue to give their parents some sweets so you have to try and move out of the way. In case you didn't realise, I hate grocery shopping.

I picked up the last grocery bag out of the trolley and went to put it into the trunk of the car but the bottom of the bag split and the contents went all over the floor.

"Shit." I muttered as I bent down to pick everything up.

Thankfully there wasn't anything breakable in the bag like eggs or jars.

I bent down to pick up the last dropped item when someone handed it to me, I looked up and saw Dimitri smiling at me in amusement.

"Hello again Roza. I just cannot seem to escape you," He said as the two of us stood up.

"It seems so," I replied and took the item he was holding off of him.

"I actually quite glad that I've run into you again. I know you have your son and are probably really busy already, but do you think we could go on that date tonight? I know a nice place we could go eat, I could make us a reservation," He said as he looked between me and the floor, he was nervous and it was sweet to see.

"Can I let you know in about an hour? I have to try and get a babysitter," I replied.

"Oh yes, of course," He said "But, you don't have my number. I only took yours, remember?"

"Right," I grabbed my cell phone and handed it to Dimitri so he could enter his own number.

It was done within seconds and he handed it back to me with a playful smile on his face. I brought up my contact list and saw the reason for his smile, he had saved himself in my phone as ' _Hunky Russian Guy_ _'_. I couldn't stop the giggle that left my lips.

"I'll call you in about an hour and give you're the verdict," I told him and started getting into my car.

"Goodbye Roza." He replied and turned away from my car.

Oh God he is so hot.

I watched in the mirror as he walked away from my car and towards his own. It was a big 4x4 that was jet black with blacked out windows. It suited him, I wonder what it is he does for a living? By the way he dresses and the car he drives it must be a pretty well paying job. Maybe I'll ask him tonight, if I can get a babysitter, I want to know more and more about this guy because he just seems so… I don't know, mysterious maybe… I don't know but there is something about him.

Dimitri seems like he has a lot to offer and I want to know every last thing about him. I don't really understand what it is he sees in me, I'm just plain Jane and he's… well he's the complete opposite. He could have any woman he wants and he wants to take me out on a date? A high school drop out single mother from an abusive relationship? What could I possibly offer someone like him?

I guess I better start looking for a babysitter.

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading.  
Please do follow, favourite and review!**

 **I have news for you all...  
This is the last chapter I'm going to be posting for a few weeks,  
I have some things that I need to do and won't be able to post,  
I will post as soon as I can.**

 **Thank you for being patient with me,  
I really appreciate everything!**

 **Xx**


	8. Ready Or Not

**Broken  
Chapter 8  
Ready Or Not**

 **Rose  
** The only person I could really ask to baby sit for me tonight was Lissa. I'm still new around here and I haven't really made many friends, not friends I would trust Jackson with anyway. Lissa knows Jackson and his routine and Jackson is comfortable with Lissa so really she was my one and only option. I've been trying to pluck up the nerve to call and ask her for the past ten minutes but to be honest, I'm worried she's going to say no and I will have to call Dimitri and tell him I can't make it. Lissa and her boyfriend Christian are all loved up right now and they might have plans for tonight but as my mother always told me 'if you don't ask, you don't get' so I know I have to call her. It's just that everything after Jesse, I hate relying on other people, I don't want other people to do things for me and Lissa has done so much already for me. I just feel bad asking her for all these favours and not being able to give her back anything in return.

My phone sat on the table staring at me as if it was taunting me, daring me to call Lissa and ask her for yet another favour. I looked up at the clock and saw what the time was. I have to call Dimitri soon to let him know if I can go to dinner or not, I can't keep him waiting, that is just rude. I sighed and grabbed the phone off the table and called Lissa.

"Hey Rose!" She said happily down the phone as she answered.

"Hey Lissa. Erm… there's something I want to ask you," I started.

"Wow. Sounds serious. Is everything ok?" She asked worriedly.

"Everything is fine, great actually it's just that… well… do you have any plans tonight?"

"I think Christian is coming over but we don't have anything planned. Why?"

"Do you think Christian would mind if baby sit Jackson for me?"

"Of course we will," She replied without any hesitation.

"Thank you so much," I told her with a deep sigh of relief.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"A date," I answered.

"What?! You're going on a date? Who with? How did you meet him? What's his name? How long have you known him? Where is he taking you?" Lissa questioned excitedly.

I couldn't help but giggle "Can I tell you when you get here? I have to call him and let him know that I have a baby sitter and then I have to get ready," I told her.

"Ok. Well Christian and I will be with you in about an hour or so. Is that ok?"

"That would be perfect."

Ok, so that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I knew Lissa would be with Christian but I don't mind him tagging along, if he wants to. I wouldn't have Christian down as someone who likes to be around children, I think they scare him to be honest. Lissa on the other hand love children… especially Jackson.

I tried to call Dimitri but apparently the line was busy, he was obviously taking another call so I decided to just send him a text;

 _Babysitter is booked and will be here within the hour.  
Rose x_

That should do it. Surely he will text back or call back when he's off the phone and we can iron out the final details of where we're going and so on. I have a feeling the phone call he's on is something to do with his job. To have a job that pays as well as Dimitri's looks like it does, he must be on the phone all the time, even when he's not technically on the clock. His job has been bugging me for a while and I've been trying to guess what it is he does but each option seems… wrong or not suited for him.

He's a healthy and strong man who clearly works out, he seems respectful and calm so I thought about a police officer but they don't pay as well as what I think Dimitri gets paid. I would guess a physically demanding job but I just don't know what. I think that is going to be one of the first questions I ask him tonight. The longer I don't know, the longer it will bug me.

My phone beeping from the table brought me away from thoughts about Dimitri's job, it was a text from Dimitri;

 _Great!  
I can pick you up if you would like?  
Dimitri x_

I don't think I feel comfortable coming here just yet. He doesn't seem like a threat to me or Jackson, or I wouldn't be going out with him but I don't think I want him knowing where Jackson sleeps at night. I want to get to know the man better first. Do I sound crazy? Of course I do.

 _I can just meet you there.  
Send me the location and time you want me there.  
Rose x_

Now all that's left for me to do is get ready! What do I wear? I know he said dinner but what sort of place is it? He clearly earns a nice wage so is it going to be somewhere fancy where I have to dress up like a damn Princess or will I be ok in skinny jeans and heels? I am no good at the dating stuff. Lissa is so much better at all of this then me, I wonder if she will come over a little earlier to help me get ready? She will know how to make me look 10x better then what I am and it won't look all fake and horrible.

The front door knocked which made Jackson jump slightly. I giggled as I picked him up and walked to the front door with him to open it. Lissa and Christian stood on the other side of the door. Lissa didn't even look at me, she took Jackson out of my arms immediately and started talking to him and making him laugh. I rolled my eyes and greeted Christian as he walked through the door.

"Thank you for this. I'm sure you had better plans," I said to him.

"We didn't," He assured me with a small and rare smile.

"Rose?" Lissa questioned. I turned to face her and saw that little twinkle in her eye, the twinkle that scared me and I knew I was no longer safe "So… tell me everything," She said.

"His name is Dimitri, he's Russian. I met him in the supermarket today and he asked me out," I told her.

"What does he look like?"

"Well he's tall, muscular, long dark hair, dark eyes, tanned complexion… he was… I don't know,"

"You're hopeless," She mused "Christian, you can bond with Jackson whilst I get Rose ready." She stated and planted Jackson on Christian's lap and started pulling me towards my bedroom.

I turned around to look at Jackson and saw him and Christian having what looked like a staring contest.

As soon as we entered the bedroom Lissa closed the door over and went to work straight away. Thankfully I was freshly showered today so that was one thing out of the way. She sat me down on the edge of my bed and started going through all of my clothes, including my underwear.

"Lissa. He's not going to be seeing my underwear, believe me, so I don't know why it's factor," I told her.

"Because if you look sexy, you feel sexy. If I put you in nice and sexy underwear it will give you that little extra boost. Believe me, I used to do it all the time when Christian and I first started dating and he didn't see them. It's just for you." She told me and went back to work.

Lissa picked out my whole outfit for me, she didn't want my input and it's just as well because I wouldn't have chosen what she did. my outfit looked simple but still looked like I had made an effort and it did look kind of sexy, which in turn made me feel sexy. Lissa chose a long sleeved thin red blouse that showed off a little bit of cleavage but not too much to make me look slutty or anything. It was just enough cleavage for a first date. Lissa also chose a black high waisted skirt that showed off my curves, the skirt ended mid thigh so I put on some black tights as well. The outfit was matched off with some black heels that had wide straps going around my ankles, so they wouldn't fall off. I can't believe how good I looked and how sexy I looked _(Picture of outfit will be posted on my Instagram for you to see, Instagram name is the same as my writer name)_.

When it came to my hair Lissa played around with a few ideas but decided it was best to have it down, it was already naturally wavy so she only had to add a few curls to it. She styled it so it would hang around my shoulders but nothing should fall into my face whilst I'm trying to eat. I never knew just curling hair could have such an effect.

For my makeup she didn't want to change me so much you couldn't recognise me but 'vamp me up' I believe is the term she used. My skin was olive toned from my fathers Turkish side so I didn't really need to put a lot on but Lissa thought it would look good to have the Smokey eye look. Apart from that she didn't really do much, just put on some powder to get rid of shininess, 'Berry' coloured lip stick which was like a dark cherry colour and some blush to add some colour to my cheeks.

I have to admit that she did a really good job.

"Thank you Lissa," I said to her with a smile.

"You look great Rose. He is going to be lost for words," She replied.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, you can tell me anything. You know that,"

"I'm a little scared for this date. I haven't been out with anyone since… him… I know not all guys are like him but I trusted him so I don't know how good a judge of character I am. What if this one is like him? How will I know?" I asked her.

"Just trust your gut," She told me "I know Jesse messed you up and I tell you, if I ever see that evil little bastard again I will hurt him… a lot… but do not let him scare you anymore. Dimitri could be your soul mate and your chance for a happy ending. Are you going to let Jesse ruin that? You left him to start fresh, so start fresh and live you life the way you want to live it for a change." She explained to me.

Ok Lissa was right. I did move away to start a new life, a happy life, so I need to start doing that. I can't let what Jesse did to me ruin any chance of future happiness. I need to move on completely from him and what better way then to go on a date with a handsome man and enjoy myself.

When did Lissa get so smart?

* * *

I pulled up to the restaurant and saw Dimitri's car already in the car park, I hope he hasn't been waiting too long for me. I turned off the engine and looked in the rear view window to look at my reflection. I have to hand it to Lissa, she did an amazing job.

I got out of the car and made my way into the restaurant. I instantly saw Dimitri sitting at a table, he saw me the second I walked in the door and stood up to greet me. I made my way to the table and Dimitri held his hand out for me, I took his hand and he placed his lips on the back of mine. I felt a smile creep up on my face and when he stood back up straight he motioned for me to sit down, once I was sat down he then took a seat himself.

What a gentleman.

"You look beautiful Roza," He commented.

"Oh, thank you," I replied "You don't look too bad yourself, you do scrub up well," I told him.

"Did you have trouble getting your babysitter?" He asked.

"No. My best friend Lissa and her boyfriend Christian seemed quite happy to have Jackson tonight," I said.

"So Rose, tell me more about you. I can't seem to figure you out and believe me, I have been trying to work you out since I met you. You're a little mystery," He said.

"I'm a mystery?" I questioned "I'm a lot of things but I don't think a mystery is one of them," I replied with a smile "Anyway, there really isn't much to tell. I just go to work and look after my son, nothing exciting," I said.

"What about your sons father? Does he not help you?"

* * *

 **Hi guys!  
I am back!**

 **Thank you all for being so patient with me,  
I really appreciate you waiting for me,  
I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Please follow, favourite and review.**


	9. Kiss Me

**Broken  
Chapter 9  
Kiss Me**

 **Rose**  
"You look beautiful Roza," He commented.

"Oh, thank you," I replied "You don't look too bad yourself, you do scrub up well," I told him.

"Did you have trouble getting your babysitter?" He asked.

"No. My best friend Lissa and her boyfriend Christian seemed quite happy to have Jackson tonight," I said.

"So Rose, tell me more about you. I can't seem to figure you out and believe me, I have been trying to work you out since I met you. You're a little mystery," He said.

"I'm a mystery?" I questioned "I'm a lot of things but I don't think a mystery is one of them," I replied with a smile "Anyway, there really isn't much to tell. I just go to work and look after my son, nothing exciting," I said.

"What about your sons father? Does he not help you?"

"No. Jackson's father… Jesse… we don't see him and he has no involvement," I stated.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dimitri replied.

"Don't be. It's better this way. Jesse wasn't really father material anyway… or boyfriend material for that matter," I said.

"I'm sorry. I can see that I've upset you. That wasn't my intention," He told me.

"It's fine."

* * *

It wasn't until now that I realised just how much I miss adult conversation. My days are filled with children's TV programmes and baby talk with Jackson. Speaking to Dimitri was so nice and it gave me a break from talking about diapers, wipes and bedtimes. The conversation just flowed between the two of us so well, we wasn't struggling for topics and there were no uncomfortable silences. Dimitri is just so sweet and he seems like a gentle giant. He told me about his family, all of them still live in his hometown in Siberia, he moved here on his own and has lived here on his own for the last 8 years… I can't imagine moving to the other side of world on my own, I miss my family so much and their only a couple of hours away.

I finally got it out of Dimitri about what he does for a living. He is a bodyguard for the rich and famous. He's worked for the likes of Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, Robert Pattinson, Anna Kendrick, Emma Watson, Orlando Bloom and even the Kardashians. You can tell by the way he speaks about his job that he loves it and he seems really passionate about it, he talks so animatedly about it and I tried looking for inside gossip about the people he's worked for but he's kept quiet. He's professional.

Getting to know Dimitri has been exciting and fun but it has made me realise how opposite we really are. I like Dimitri, I do but I don't know if the two of us are suited for one another. I'm a single teen mother who has lots of issues and he's a very successful man who travels the world with the rich and famous. He has a nice car, no doubt a nice and modern home and can probably have any woman he desires. Why on Earth would he want to date me? I don't exactly have a lot to offer him, only baggage.

"You seem a little distracted Rose. Is everything ok?" He asked me with concern glazing over his features.

"I'm just wondering why a successful and handsome man like yourself, would want to date me? A teen mother with lots of baggage. Surely you can have any woman you want and you have asked out the most complicated person ever," I told him.

"I think the question should be, why wouldn't I want to take you out? You don't seem to think highly of yourself but you have a lot going for you in life. Being a teen mother doesn't have to be a bad thing, and just to let you know that everyone has some sort of baggage, no one is perfect. I have quite a lot of baggage of my own, but not anything I want to talk about on a first date," He explained "Don't be so hard on yourself Rose," He added.

"I'm not being hard on myself, I'm being realistic," I replied.

"Well in that case, don't they say that opposites attract?" He questioned with a smirk playing on his lips.

"I guess they do," I answered with a matching smirk.

"I really have enjoyed my time with you this evening, I was actually hoping that you would want to go out with me again," He said.

"Ok, we'll go out again," I told him "You know, it's nice to have adult conversation. Mostly all I have a chance to talk about is either my son or watch his programmes and have to tell with the baby voices and everything. Don't get me wrong, I love my son to death but there is only so much Peppa Pig and Iggle Piggle I can take," I told him with a laugh.

"Peppa Pig? Iggle Piggle?" He questioned in confusion.

I couldn't help but giggle "Children's TV programmes, they drive you crazy a little while. Maybe one day you will get the pleasure of watching them," I said.

"I hope so." He replied with a smile on his lips.

Does it mean that he wants to meet Jackson one day? Does it mean that he wants to possibly form a proper relationship with me? I can't help but get excited at the possibility of a future with someone to be by my side. The best way for me to get back at Jesse for what he did is for me to find happiness and move on with my life, prove to him he didn't mess me up like he would like to think he did. He didn't break me down and he didn't make me afraid to be happy, he thinks he's broken me and I want to prove him wrong.

Dimitri moved his hand across the table and he hand covered mine gently. It was as if he wanted to touch me but he was afraid of something, what could Dimitri possibly be afraid of? This man doesn't look like he's afraid of anything, he is just so muscled and tall, if anything I would say that people are more afraid of him.

"Are you ok?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"You seem to be holding back, is something wrong?"

"No nothing is wrong. I just don't want to push my luck with you or anything," He started "I'm not silly Rose. I can tell that your ex done something terrible to you, I can read the signs and… well I don't know what it was he done so I don't want to push any limits or make you uncomfortable," He explained.

"Oh Dimitri," I sighed with a smile "You could never make me feel uncomfortable and you're right, Jesse, he did do something bad, something terrible to me. I do want to tell you but I don't want to scare you away. It's our first date after all and I don't want you thinking I'm messed up or… broken," I told him.

"Shall we go for a little walk?" He asked.

"Sure." I replied.

* * *

Dimitri and I decided to talk a walk around a nearby marina, it was only a couple minutes walk away from the restaurant and I know why Dimitri has suggested it. He wants me to open up and he knows that I'm more likely to open up when it's just the two of us rather in a busy restaurant. I want things to go well with Dimitri, I want to go on another date, and another date and another date. I really like him and I want him to understand me but is this all a little much for a first date? It's been a little tense for a first date, I know that much but we have learnt a lot about one another. Will me divulging my past make Dimitri realise that I come with too much baggage? Will it scare him away.

We walk hand in hand around the marina as we looked at the boats, the water glistening in the moonlight and off the sides of the polished boats that are swaying in the water.

"It's very beautiful out here tonight," I commented.

"You are very beautiful," He replied making me smile shyly.

"Your flattering comments do not sway me Dimitri. I know you brought me here to find out more about what happened between Jesse and me." I said as we stop walking.

I pull his hand to sit down on a bench.

"You caught me," He said "I do want to know more but whatever you're comfortable with," He added.

"There was one time when I thought that Jesse was the best human being alive. He was everything to me and when I got pregnant, I had everything planned out in my head. I thought we were going to have a happily ever after but then things turned bad. Jesse became controlling and he accused me of all sorts… he used to scream in my face, call me names and he hit me," I told him.

"I'm sorry," He replied.

"It just got worse overtime and I realised that I didn't want Jackson being brought up in that kind of environment. I didn't want him thinking that it was ok to treat anybody that way, I didn't want him becoming his father so I came up with a plan. Behind Jesse's back I got in touch with my best friend Lissa and told her what had happened. She got me a job with her parents, they arranged for me to have somewhere to live and I waited for Jesse to go to work. He used to leave just after 5am, he left and I packed up everything that I could and left. I didn't tell anyone of my plan, including my parents. I only got back in touch with them his week and told them… my dad is not best pleased," I explained.

"You went through a lot and I'm sorry that you went through all of that," He said.

"It brought me here and so far, life has been good to me here," I replied.

"If he comes near you again then you let me know and I'll show him what a real man is," He told me.

"He doesn't know where I am and I have no plans on telling him where I am. He was a terribly boyfriend and he wasn't a good father either," I said.

"Why wasn't he a good father?" He asked.

"He couldn't be bothered with Jackson. He didn't tend to him when he cried, he didn't feed him, change him, bathe him or talk to him really. I think he was expecting Jackson to be born walking, talking and doing everything for himself… which of course isn't the case," I explained.

"You are much better off without him," He told me.

"I don't want to scare you away which is why I didn't want to say anything. I know that I come with a lot of baggage, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to go on that other date," I said.

"Roza… you don't have a lot of self confidence, I know it's probably _his_ fault but I want to make you realise that not all us men are like that. I want to go out with you again, you're very beautiful and intriguing," He told me.

"Dimitri?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

Dimitri smiled widely at me and we shifted closer together on the bench. His hands gently held onto my face as he leaned in to me, I leaned further into him and our lips met. Our lips moved against one another's and I couldn't help but notice how soft his lips were. Our kiss became deeper but before we could start a proper 'make out' we both pulled away from the kiss. We smiled at each other Dimitri grabbed hold of my hand again.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Sorry the chapter is a little late but I have a very good (and adorable) excuse,  
I got a new dog!  
He's an 18 month old chocolate coloured toy poodle x maltese (Maltipoo).  
His name is Ralph and I've been getting him used to the house and everything.  
He takes up a lot of my time but he's just too cute!**

 **I promise the next chapter will be updated on Sunday.  
Please follow, favourite and review.**

 **P.S  
For those of you that read my Once Upon A Time Story, Unexpcted, I've deleted it as I have decided to go a different route with it.  
I am re-writing it which may take a while but as soon as it's ready it will be re-posted.**


	10. Late Night Calls

**Broken  
Chapter 10  
Late Night Calls**

 **Dimitri  
** Hearing Rose tell me what that asshole ex of hers did to her, it made my blood boil, it made me so angry but I think anger is the last thing she needed to see from me. Hearing her talk about the abuse just made me think of my own family and all the things we went through when we were younger. My dad was abusive to my mom and he beat her more times then I could count but she never had the strength to leave, no matter how much I begged her and my nana begged her, she wouldn't leave so I had to take matters into my own hands. I remember the day as if it was yesterday, I remember coming home from school and seeing my mom with yet another busted lip and I lost it, I saw my dad coming out of the bathroom and I just lunged at him. I couldn't stop myself, I just start punching him over and over again. He tried fighting me back, I was only 13 at the time but I was just so angry and I kept hitting him and hitting him until he gave up. He left the house and he never came back and we never heard from him again, which is a good thing. Of course my sisters wanted 'daddy' but they didn't need him because they had me and I wasn't going to let anything happen to them.

Rose was stronger then my mom because she left him. She knew she couldn't subject her child to that sort of environment so she took matters into her own hands and she left him, she made sure that he couldn't contact her again and she took her son and left. When I was younger I used to dream of my mother doing that for me and my sisters but she was never strong enough. I don't blame my mother for anything because I know how my dad was and he probably would've tracked her down if she did leave, she had her reasons for staying, like Rose had her reasons for leaving. I hope Rose's son grows up and realises what an amazing woman his mother is and I hope he is aware of everything she did for him. She moved states, leaving her parents and life behind her so he could have a better upbringing and a better life. Rose is one of the best mothers I've ever known and I hope her son realises that.

I'm glad Rose told me about her past and although I know there is more to tell, I'm glad she told me what she did because it gives me insight to Rose and it taught me about her. It's crazy that we have only known each other for a ridiculously short amount of time but I feel some sort of connection to her, a connection I've not felt with anyone else before. I'm 26 years old and I've never had a proper relationship, I've had girlfriends but nothing that has ever lasted more then a couple of months but I have a feeling that things could be different with Rose. To me, she is the whole package, she's beautiful, intelligent, smart, strong, caring, gentle, loving, funny and she's a mother… she's a family woman and all I've ever wanted is a family for myself. If I was to be with Rose I would have a ready made family, a ready made happiness. Just the thought of it makes me smile wide.

The only thing I'm worried about is Rose finding out about my past. My past is not pretty and I'm not just talking about what happened with my dad, there has been a lot of shit go on in my life and if Rose found out some of it, I know she wouldn't want to see me or speak to me again. On the outside I have a good life with a good job and I couldn't really ask for anything better then what I have, I have money, a nice car, a nice apartment and I make good money but deep down I know what I can be… what monster I can turn into and I fear it may send Rose running for the hills. They say that time is the biggest healer but I don't believe that, I've given it time, in fact I've given it 7 years but it still hurts, it's as if it happened yesterday. I will never forget it and it will haunt me until the day that I die.

My eyes glance up to the clock hanging on the wall in my apartment and saw that it was 11:30pm, meaning that it's 1:30pm back home. I haven't called my family in a couple of weeks, I've been busy with work… maybe I should call them. I want to know that they are all getting on ok, of course they'll tell me that they are, even if they're not but my little sister, Viktoria, she normally gives it all away. I pick up the phone and dial the all too familiar number. _**(Conversation in Russian but will have English translation)**_

"Здравствуйте, Беликова дом" (Hello, Belikov house)

"Привет мама, это я" (Hi mom, it's me)

"Димитрий! В заключение. Мы долго ждали, чтобы услышать от вас. Ты в порядке?" (Dimitri! Finally. We have been waiting to hear from you. Are you ok?)

"Да мама, я в порядке. Как дела дома? Все ли в порядке?" (Yes mom, I'm fine. How are things back home? Is everyone ok?)

"Мы все прекрасно Дмитрий" (We're all fine Dimitri)

"Хорошо. Смотри, я знаю, что я не звонил в течение нескольких недель, но я был занят работой, и все. Я обещаю, что буду пытаться назвать немного чаще" (Good. Look I know I haven't called in a couple of weeks but I have been busy with work and everything. I promise I will try and call a bit more often)

"Вы убедитесь, что вы делаете. Мы все так беспокоятся о вас там по своему усмотрению ... но мы так гордимся вами" (You make sure that you do. We are all so worried about you over there on your own... but we are so proud of you)

"Спасибо, мам. Получили ли вы этот чек я вас послал?" (Thank you mom. Did you get that cheque I sent you?)

"Да, я сделал, но я хочу, чтобы ты прекратить посылать мне свои деньги. мы делаем штраф здесь" (Yes I did but I wish you would stop sending me your money. We're doing fine here)

"Я зарабатываю достаточно денег, и я хочу, чтобы быть в состоянии помочь вам. Это не имеет большого значения. Просто поместите его в банке и использовать продукты в супермаркете или новую одежду для Viktoria или что-то" (I'm earning enough money and I want to be able to help you out. It's not a big deal. Just put it in the bank and use it for groceries or clothes for Viktoria or something)

"Ты хороший мальчик, сын" (You're a good boy son)

"Является ли Viktoria есть?" (Is Viktoria there?)

"Нет, она ушла с некоторыми друзьями" (No, she's gone out with some friends)

"ОК. Ну, я лучше пойду, уже поздно. Скажите Viktoria, напишите мне или что-то ... было бы приятно услышать от нее" (Ok. Well I better go, it's getting late. Tell Viktoria to email me or something… it would be nice to hear from her)

"Я буду. Позаботься о себе и позвонить в ближайшее время" (I will. You take care of yourself and call soon)

"Я буду мамой. Прощай" (I will mom. Goodbye)

I put the phone down on the chair beside me and sigh… Viktoria is out again? The last couple of times I've called she's been out with her friends. I wonder just what sort of friends she's hanging out with, if I find out she's sneaking around with boys then she will be on the first plane here to come and live with me. I've told my mom already that I don't want Viktoria getting caught up in boys. I love my two nieces, Katya and Zoya and I love my nephew Paul but their dads are not around anymore… I don't want that for Viktoria. She is the only one of my sisters that can do things right; you know meet a good guy, get married, get settled and then have children. I hope she knows any guy she wants to date has to be up to my standards first.

I stand up form my chair and am about to head off to bed when I hear my phone ring. I looked at the caller ID and see Rose's name flash up on the screen, I can't help but smile as I answer the call.

"Roza," I answer.

"Hi Dimitri. Is now a good time? I know it's late," She said.

"Now is fine. Everything ok?" I asked her.

"Everything is great… I just wanted to thank you for tonight. I had a really amazing time," She told me.

"I'm glad you had a good time," I replied.

"I was thinking about our second date and erm… well… if you're not busy. My friend has offered to have Jackson next Saturday night at her place. We could go out or something," She suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll let you choose what we do," I said.

"I was thinking that maybe we could go out and do something, then maybe go back to my place and watch a movie… if that's ok with you?" She questioned, she's nervous.

"Sounds perfect, I look forward to it," I replied "I'm really sorry but I have to go. I have work in the morning but I'll call during the week," I told her.

"Great… bye Dimitri and thank you again for tonight," She said.

After we end the call I can't stop smiling.

* * *

 **Rose**  
I had such an amazing night with Dimitri! I can't believe how sweet he is. I feel like there could be something special between me and Dimitri, he seems to be everything I could ever want in a guy. He spoke about his family back home and it's clear that he is very protective of them, especially his younger sister. From the way he spoke of them it's clear there's a reason that he is so protective of them but he didn't mention anything. Maybe he'll open up on our next date. I can't even believe that we're going on a second date, I honestly thought when he knew about Jesse and my past he wouldn't want anything more to do with me, I come with a lot of baggage but it doesn't seem to phase him.

For our next date I was thinking we could go for something to eat or go bowling or something and then come back to my place and watch a movie. I want Dimitri to know that it's not code for 'come round so we can have sex'. I'm not ready to sleep with anybody just yet, I do mean just come and watch a movie and then he can leave after, it will only be our second date. I don't want to rush anything and I'm not ready for sleepovers or sex with anyone else just yet. Besides, I want to get to know Dimitri more before he stays over and I need to think about Jackson as well. If myself and Dimitri get together then will he be someone good to introduce to Jackson or will the pressure be too much for him, like it was with Jesse. I don't want to introduce anyone to my son that is not going to be a good figure in his life. I also don't want to introduce Jackson and Dimitri to one other, have them form a bond and then the two of us split up because that won't be fair on anyone involved.

Of course, Dimitri doesn't seem anything like Jesse. He seems the total opposite which is good for me but I need to make sure that it's right for Jackson as well because above all else, Jackson is my main priority.

Is inviting Dimitri over a good idea? What if it takes it the wrong way and he thinks I want to sleep with him? I want Dimitri to know that I want things to move forward, obviously but I want to take things slow. How do I tell him this? I'm not good at any of this, maybe I should speak to Lissa and get her opinion on this. She will know what to do, she always knows what to do.

I look at the clock and see the time is nearly 12:30 which is late for some people but I know Lissa will still be awake, her and Christian are night owls and don't normally go to sleep until 3am… I can't remember the last time I was up at 3am and it didn't involve changing diapers or feeding Jackson.

"Hey! What are you still doing up? It's past your bedtime Grandma," Lissa jokes as s he answers the phone.

"Hello Lissa… thanks for that. I want some advice, do you think you can spare me a couple of minutes?" I asked.

"As it's you," She replied "What can I help with?" She asked.

"I just spoke to Dimitri and we're planning on having another date next Saturday, whilst you have Jackson, I've said that we should go out and do something then I suggested that he should come back to my place and watch a movie. I'm now second guessing it, I don't want him to think that I'm meaning for him to come over for sex… I'm not ready for that," I explained to her.

"Well just lay it out for him. Tell him that you're not ready for your physical relationship to move forward but you want to get to know him and spend time with him," She told me.

"I don't want him to think I'm leading him on or something," I admitted.

"Just be straight with him Rose. Honesty is the best policy," She said.

"Do you think he'll understand?"

"From what you've told me about him Rose, he sounds like a reasonable and kind person. I'm sure he'll understand, especially as you have already told him about Jesse. If he doesn't understand then he's not good enough for you," She told me.

"Ok, I'll talk to him. Thank you Lissa," I replied.

"Glad I could help! Look I have to go. I'll talk to you later." She stated and ended the call.

I'm guessing Christian was looking for some attention as well.

* * *

 **Hey guys!  
Thank you for reading,  
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Please do follow, favourite and review!**


	11. Something Different

**Broken  
Chapter 11  
Something Different**

 **Rose**  
Tonight is date number two with Dimitri and I am both nervous and excited about it. I'm nervous because I don't want Dimitri thinking that I'm only bringing him here for one thing, because that is the complete opposite of what I want to happen tonight. Don't get me wrong, I do like Dimitri a lot and he's hot and I'm sure he's great in the sack, I'm just not ready for that sort of relationship yet after Jesse. I really hope Dimitri understands that and I really hope he won't mind that I'm not ready for that. I don't want him to think I'm a tease or anything, I don't want that sort of label hanging over me. Now, I am excited for this date because I like spending time with Dimitri, listening to him talk, seeing his smile and just being around him makes me feel happy. I think Dimitri is one of the good guys and I want things to move forward with us. Everything about Dimitri is everything I'm looking for in a guy… well I wasn't exactly looking for a guy, not so soon after Jesse but the sort of guy I dreamed of is someone like Dimitri. He seems like he would be good with Jackson and he seems like the family kind of man, especially after what he said about his sisters, he seems really protective.

Dimitri is what I would like to think of as a real man and as a real man I would love to see Jesse stand up to him, Dimitri isn't a girl who will cower down in front of him, like I used to be. If Jesse and Dimitri were to ever come face to face we all know that Jesse will back down like the little bitch he really is. I don't want to see Jesse ever again, I hate him, he makes me feel sick to my stomach but if I ever do have to see him again then I hope Dimitri is with me. Dimitri will show him what a real man is like. I just feel so sorry for Jackson because he doesn't have his biological father in his life, in fact right now he doesn't have any sort of father in his life which I know will impact him in his future years, especially his teenage years but I will do my best for him. I will try to be the mother and the father but I know sometimes it won't be good enough. I really hope Jackson doesn't hate me when he gets older for taking me away from his father, that is my biggest fear, Jackson growing up to hate me.

When Jackson is old enough I will explain to him what happened, I will explain how bad things got and why I made the decision to take him away from Jesse. I just hope that Jackson understands why I had to leave and why it was the best thing for him, if he doesn't and he wants to see Jesse then I will give him that chance to meet him… just once… and he can ask whatever questions he wants and I doubt Jesse will tell him the truth or give him answers but I will give him that chance. I just hope that doesn't come back to bite me, I would die if Jackson didn't believe me and believed whatever rubbish Jesse told him and then turn against me. Jackson is my life, he is the reason I get up in the morning and do everything that I do, if I didn't have him then my life would be empty and meaningless. Everyone has a purpose in life, that I believe and I believe that my purpose in life was to be Jackson's mommy.

I looked down at Jackson as he napped peacefully in his crib and a smile spread across my face. Jackson is going to be a gorgeous young man and he is going to be fighting the girls off with sticks, I hope he knows that any girl he brings home to me better be a good one or I'll be telling her where the door is. Jackson deserves nothing but the best and he is going to be nothing better then he can be, he is going to be a real gentleman and he will know how to treat women and people right. That's all I want from him, I want him to be good and happy. I don't care if he becomes the President of The United States or if he becomes a car cleaner, as long as he's happy I don't care.

Out of all the men I know I want Dimitri to turn out like Christian or Dimitri, maybe a combination of both. They are the sort of men young boys should look up to. They are loyal, kind, caring, responsible and gentlemanly. Don't get me wrong I know Christian has made mistakes in the past and I'm sure Dimitri has but the men they are now are the kind of men I want Jackson to look up to. Jesse is the last person Jackson should be looking up to and I will do everything in my power to stop that happening.

I left Jackson's room before I wake him up, he needs a nap because he is one grouchy baby without it. Besides, it took me a while to get to sleep so I don't want to start all of that again. I walked into the living room and saw my laptop still sitting open on the coffee table. I've been looking for some date ideas for tonight but I don't know what. I've thought of all the usual things to do; bowling, movies, dinner but I wanted to do something fun and different with Dimitri. I wanted to show him that I could be fun but I don't know what to do! I've been thinking about it all week and I've drawn a blank and I've got to let Dimitri know what we're doing.

Maybe Lissa will have some ideas. I grabbed my phone off the side and called Lissa.

"Hey Rose!" She exclaimed as she answered "Everything ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I was just calling to pick your brain a little bit," I told her.

"Pick away," She replied.

"So as you know, Dimitri and I have our second date tonight and Dimitri said for me to chose what to do but I have no idea. You've lived her longer then I have, you know the place better. What can we do? I don't want to do the same dates that everyone goes on, dinner, movies or bowling. I want to do something different, something to remember," I explained to her.

"Why don't you just go to the fair?" She suggested, as if it was obvious.

"What fair?" I questioned.

"There's a fair in town for five days. It comes this time every year," She told me.

"Lissa that is perfect! I knew you would have the best idea," I said happily.

"No problem. It will be so romantic. Going on the rides in the moonlight, sharing cotton candy, holding hands and maybe even sneaking in a little kiss," She teased.

"Ok, I'm going to stop you there and I am going to end this call before you get too carried away," I told her.

"Christian and I will be at yours about six to collect Jackson for the night." She informed me.

"Perfect… and thank you again!"

I knew Lissa would have the perfect idea.

* * *

After speaking to Lissa earlier on today, I called Dimitri and made sure that he was happy with going to the fair and he said he couldn't wait. I don't know if he was just putting that on for my benefit or if he really was excited to go to the fair with me. Either way he agreed and said he would come to pick me up at 7pm. I was nervous to have him in my home but it's time to move on from Jesse and not let him bother me anymore. Dimitri and I are going to have a good time tonight, I can feel it in my bones and it's going to be romantic.

Whilst Jackson had his nap earlier I took the time to clean the house completely. I didn't want Dimitri thinking I lived in filth. He was coming in to watch a movie after our date and I wanted him to feel comfortable in my home, I don't want him to be wanting to leave as quickly as possible. God, I hope tonight goes well because if it doesn't, it could be the end of the road for Dimitri and me.

I looked up at the clock and saw that it was 6:45pm. Lissa and Christian left with Jackson 15 minutes ago and Dimitri should be here any minute. I looked up and down in my mirror once more to make sure that I looked good enough, Lissa had given me her approval of the outfit but I still worry if I look good enough. It wasn't an 'out of this world' kind of outfit but it was causal, flirty and cute all at the same time.

I had my hair in a messy side braid going, which surprisingly looked good. I went with a cream t-shirt with black writing on the front that said 'Joie De Vivre' which Lissa informed me means 'Joy of living' in English. I wanted to show my legs off but I wanted to feel secure and not flash anything on any of the rides so I put my dungarees on. Fairs are normally muddy and you do a lot of walking around so I decided to put some dark brown boots on. I had black socks on that came up just about the boots but it looked cute rather then I couldn't dress myself.

The front door knocked and I took a deep breath before going to answer it. I opened the door and saw Dimitri standing there on the other side, he looked nervous but happy to see me, was that a good thing? I opened the door a little wide for him to come in and he closed it behind him.

"Hi Rose. It's good to see you again, you look great," He said as we shared a short embrace.

"Thank you," I replied embarrassed "Erm… let me just grab my bag and I'm ready to go," I informed him and walked into the living room to get my bag.

I didn't want to be lugging around a heavy bag with my purse, keys, phone and everything else in so I put it all in a backpack. It was cream with brown leather detail on it. Lissa brought me it last year and I haven't really had the chance to use it properly. I checked the bag and made sure I had everything before going back out to meet Dimitri.

"Your home is beautiful," Dimitri stated.

"Oh, thank you. It's not much but it suits me and Jackson," I told him feeling like I had to explain myself "Are you ready?" I questioned and he nodded.

Dimitri opened the front door for us and I went out first, I let him leave after me and watched as he closed the door securely. I don't know why I was watching him, he works in security for crying out loud! He knows how to close a damn door. Do you see what Jesse has done to me?

"Rose? Are you ok?" Dimitri asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking about things that shouldn't matter," I told him.

"You can tell me if something is bothering you," He said.

"No it's fine. It's just me being stupid." I replied.

Dimitri smiled at me and held his hand out to me. I saw that his car was parked a few doors down as there were other cars preventing him from parking anywhere else. I took hold of his hand and the two of us walked down to the car in a comfortable silence with our hands joined, I could feel that electricity people talk about when they meet 'the one'.

Is that what's happening?

* * *

 **Hey Guys!**

 **Thank you for reading,  
I hope you all enjoyed it.  
**

 **Sorry that it's a little short,  
The next one is longer... and sweeter!**

 **Please follow, favourite and review!**


	12. Cotton Candy Kisses

**Broken  
Chapter 12  
Cotton Candy Kisses**

 **Rose**  
After driving around for a few minutes Dimitri finally found a parking space and as soon as the engine stopped all of the noise from outside waded into the car. It was loud. There were people screaming, talking excitedly, the machinery of the rides going, the workers at the funfair calling people to take part in their game or go on their ride. There was so much going on and as I looked out of the window I tried to take in the scene with all the rides, lights and people but I can't remember I was at a place where there was so many people, it actually made me a little nervous. I know how pathetic that sounds but it's true. I never did crowds, they wasn't really my thing and Jesse was more then happy for me to be in the background rather in with the masses of people, everything is so foreign to me but I am finally beginning to accept that life for me is just beginning.

I looked over at Dimitri and noticed that he had been staring at me, I blushed a little but he didn't look away, he kept his gaze on me and we smiled large at one another. When Dimitri stared at me he made me feel sexy, beautiful, strong and cared for which is something Jesse didn't make me feel for a very long time, it's nice to feel like this again. Dimitri just always seems to bring out the best in me, as corny as it sounds he is like a breath of fresh air and when he fills my lungs I just feel alive. Of course I won't tell him that, it is way to cheesy but somehow I think he knows how he makes me feel.

The two of us got out of the car and grabbed hands as soon as possible as we made our way to the entrance to get our tickets, I looked ahead to see that there was a bit of a line but it seemed to be moving quickly so we shouldn't have to wait for too long.

"There are so many rides!" I exclaimed as we joined the line and it became apparent just how large this funfair was.

"You like rides?" Dimitri asked.

"I love them! I love the adrenaline of it all," I answered.

"So you're an adrenaline junkie?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow look.

"I do like the odd thrill ride," I answered with a large smile.

"So, what should we do first?" He questioned me.

"I have no idea." I said with a giggle.

I don't think that I have ever been to a funfair with so many rides before, especially not a travelling funfair! There were rollercoaster's, a fun house, bumper cars, upside down rides, slides, swings, game stalls and food stalls. There was just so much and so many darn people, I hope Dimitri and I don't get separated because I don't think I would be able to find my way back to him or the car for that matter. We haven't even gone that far and I'm a little lost already.

It was finally our turn to get our tickets, Dimitri stepped forward and I followed, still holding onto his hand. He used one hand to get money out of his wallet and hand it to the man at the entrance. We were handed our tickets with a promise of having a great time and we went through the front gate. On the way here we stopped for gas and I offered to for my half of the entrance fee for the funfair but Dimitri wouldn't have it. He said he wanted to pay and treat me, what he doesn't know is that when he got out to put gas in, I hid money in his car. I don't want anyone to think that I'm only with Dimitri because he has a bit of money.

As soon as we entered the funfair it seemed that all the noise got louder, if that was possible. I looked up Dimitri who was looking around in amazement at everything around us. This place was huge, we were going to be spending the majority of the night here but I don't mind because it just means that I get to spend a little bit more time with Dimitri then we had originally planned. This is going to give me a chance to see what type of man he really is, I hope he's not afraid of heights or anything because I think I know what ride I want to go on first.

"You're not scared of heights are you?" I asked him.

"No, why?"

"I was thinking that we could go on the pendulum," I told him.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed and we headed off towards it.

The pendulum ride had a large circle that everyone sat in and then it starts spinning and swinging from side to side, when it gets high enough you end up upside down and go all the way over. The ride was already on and there were people lining up to go on the next go and by the looks of it, Dimitri and I would be able to get on. I watched as the ride went over and the people screaming made me get even more excited to get on and get going. I gripped onto Dimitri's hand a little tighter out of excitement, I was nearly bouncing up and down with excitement like a kid but I managed to hold myself together.

"Is someone a little excited?" Dimitri asked with amusement.

"It's been years since I've been to a fair and been on rides," I told him.

"Same here. The last time I was at a theme park I was only 12 years old and we had to leave early because my sister puked up on all of her clothes on a rollercoaster. We never went back," He said.

"I promise not to puke," I replied.

"Well that's good because if you puke you're not getting in my car," He joked.

"You wouldn't make me walk home," I teased.

"You're right." He answered and pulled me a little bit closer to him but he didn't make a move to kiss me or anything… God I wish he would!

* * *

 **Dimitri**  
We have been at the fair for just over an hour now and it doesn't even seem like we have done much but it is nice to see Rose so happy. She seems like she has really come out of her shell tonight. I know on our first date things were a little heavy with us and we shared a lot of things about ourselves but tonight we've been carefree and we've left all of our worries outside. I love being the one to make Rose this happy, she is so gorgeous when she smiles and I swear that I could stare at her all day and never get bored of it. She is so full of life, energy and excitement. It's a different side to her that I haven't seen yet and I have to say that I am enjoying every last minute of it.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" I asked Rose as we wandered around, looking for the next ride to go on.

"Actually that would be great. My throat hurts a little from all the screaming," She said with a giggle.

The two of us walked hand in hand towards the drink stand which thankfully didn't have a queue, about the only thing here that doesn't have a queue. That's what I hate most about places like this, you spend most of your time lining up for things and it sucks, I can be a very patient person but when it comes to stuff like this I just want to get on the ride and go! I know that Rose isn't a fan of all the lining up either and we have been doing our best to pass the time, it's good that conversation flows easy between us otherwise things could get awkward.

"What do you want to drink?" I asked as we approached the drinks stand.

"A diet coke please," She answered.

"Can I have to medium diet cokes please?" I said to the vendor who nodded in reply and went off to get our drinks for us "Do you want something to eat?" I asked her and she shook her head 'no' as she looked around at the other rides we were still to go on.

Once I got the drinks, Rose and I found a small table where we could just drink our drinks and chill out for a second.

"Thank you for tonight Dimitri. I am having the best time so far," Rose said from opposite me with the biggest smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you're having a good time. Although, I should be thanking you. It was you who chose to come here, I probably would have chosen something boring," I told her.

"You are anything but boring," She said "Erm… can I speak to you about something? Without you getting the wrong idea?" She questioned, suddenly turning serious.

"Of course," I answered.

"I know that I invited you to come round to my place and watch a movie after here, and I'm really happy that we are but I just wanted to tell you that I wasn't inviting you round so that we could… you know… sleep together," She told me "It's not because I'm not attracted to you because I am. I have actually never been more attracted to someone before in my life, but I am just not ready for that sort of physical relationship just yet. I enjoy kissing you and enjoy being with you but I'm just not ready to sleep with you," She explained.

"I wasn't coming over with the expectation of sleeping with you. I was coming over so that I could spend time with you and get to know you. Rose I hope you know that I would never want you to do anything that you're not comfortable with and if I ever do anything to make you uncomfortable, please tell me," I told her.

"Ok." She answered.

* * *

The ride attendant pointed to the seats Rose and I should sit in, we walked towards the seats and I soon realised that the seats were quite high up and Rose was struggling to get up. I chuckled as she tried for the fourth time to jump into her seat. She looked up at me with pleading eyes and I was more then happy to help her, I picked her up slightly by her waist and put her into her seat, she gave me a quick thanks before I jumped into my seat next to her.

We were on the drop ride which is basically a row of seats that goes up to the top of a tower and then it drops you down to the bottom. Rose was so excited to go on this ride, she has been looking forward to it all night but there has been a large queue for it all night and this is the first time all night we have had a chance to go on it.

"Dimitri, how high do you think this is?" Rose asked me.

"I don't know. Looking at it I would say between 150 to 170 meters," I answered.

"That's pretty high." She stated but she still looked excited.

Everyone was seated in their seats and the ride attendant was checking everyone's safety harness and seatbelt to make sure that everyone was going to be secure. Once he done his checks he went into the booth where he was going to operate the ride from. I heard Rose giggle in excitement as the row of seats started to move slowly towards the top of the tower and as we rose higher and higher everyone started to get more and more excited, they were all anticipating the big drop. What everyone was anticipating the most was the pause before the fall, we don't know how long we would be sitting at the top before it drops, it's down to the ride attendant to chose how long we were up there.

We reached the top of the tower and bounced a little bit up and down to get everyone psyched up. Rose was laughing and then she grabbed my hand, hard, she was scared I could tell but she was still excited. Rose gripped hold of my hand tighter as the row of seats dropped a little bit out of nowhere but then it went back up to the top. The row of seats bounced again a couple of times and then just stopped which made Rose squeal which made me chuckle.

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

"I just can't wait for the drop!" She exclaimed.

Out of nowhere the row of seats dropped fast towards the bottom. Rose screamed out of fear, surprise and delight and I couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise either. Within seconds it was all over and I looked over at Rose to see some stray bits of hair that had come out of place, her cheeks were flushed red and she had a look of surprise over her faced accompanied with a large smile.

"You have fun?" I asked.

"That was the best one so far," She said as the harnesses lifted.

I got up first and then helped Rose off her seat.

"Oh my God! That was so much fun," She told me as we made our way off the ride.

"What shall we do now?" I questioned.

"I need something sweet, a sugar rush. Can we go and get some cotton candy?" She asked.

"Of course." I answered.

The two of us made our way towards the cotton candy stand when I noticed a games stall, they were offering prizes and I wanted to get something for Rose. I wanted her to have a souvenir from tonight so that she could remember our time tonight. I had hold of her hand and started gently coaxing her towards the games stand, the game seemed simple enough. All you had to do was hook a duck and depending on the number on the bottom of the duck, it depends on what sort of present you won. If you got a number between 1-12 you win a smaller prize, numbers between 13-19 a medium size prize and numbers between 20-25 you won the large prize. It was all down to pure luck but you were guaranteed to win something.

"What are you going to do with a fluffy bear?" Rose asked amused as we approached the stall.

"It will give me something to cuddle at night," I joked.

"Here I was thinking that bodyguard to the stars, Dimitri, could have any woman he wanted and yet he has to settle for a teddy bear," Rose joked back.

"I've only got eyes for one woman," I replied.

We reached the game stand and I paid the man, he handed me a small plastic fishing rod that had a magnet on the end. The magnet on the fishing rod is going to attach itself to the metal on ducks back and then that's the one you get. I had hold of the fishing rod and looked at the ducks floating around in the little pool of water. I lowered the fishing rod and hooked myself a duck. I lifted it up and the stall attendant took it off the fishing rod to look at then number.

"Number 14," He replied "That's a medium sized prize from the middle row," He said and pointed to the correct one, as if I wasn't sure which row he was talking about.

"Chose one," I said to Rose. She smiled sweetly at me and looked at the prizes available. After a minute of browsing she grabbed a Peppa Pig toy, I looked at her in confusion for a minute but then it dawned on me that she must be getting it for Jackson "I hope Jackson likes it," I said to her.

"I hope you don't mind me getting something for him," She replied.

"Of course not." I answered.

* * *

 **Rose**  
Once my Peppa Pig was chosen for Jackson, Dimitri and I made our way to the cotton candy stall where Dimitri torture us some cotton candy sticks, I did offer to pay but Dimitri wouldn't allow it. He was such a gentleman and wouldn't allow me to pay, no matter how much I tried, he opened doors and everything. He was the sweetest man I have ever known but sometimes I wish he would just allow me to pay. I mean it's not going to break the bank if I brought us some cotton candy. I guess I will just have to hide more money in his car… I wonder how long I'm going to have to do that for.

"Shall we go on the Ferris wheel?" I asked Dimitri.

There was no queue for it and it looked pretty fun.

"Sounds good," He replied and I held onto his hand as the two of us walked towards it.

We were seated in a cart and once the bar was locked we started moving slowly upwards, we ate our cotton candy as we took in the sights and as we got higher and higher I took in more and more. It was definitely one of the more beautiful sights I've ever seen and I hope I get to see it again someday.

"It's so beautiful up here," I commented.

"I've seen prettier sights," He replied and I noticed him smiling sweetly down at me. I couldn't stop the blush that spread over my cheeks "Why do you blush so much? It's not like I'm saying something that isn't true," He told me.

"I'm just not used to it," I said.

"Well I want you to get used to it," He replied.

We got to the top of the Ferris wheel and we slowed down to a stop so that we could see everything, it was so lit up and to be honest I never realised how beautiful this city was and from out here I can really appreciate it's beauty. I took a sneak peek at Dimitri and saw that he was also looking out at the scenery as well. We were both really happy and content with the moment, we were sat in silence but it was a very comfortable silence. We ate our cotton candy with our arms linked with one another. I enjoy being with Dimitri and feeling his touch, it just makes me feel more safe and secure, no matter where I am.

I looked up at Dimitri once more but this time he was looking at me as well, we smiled lightly at one another until our heads started to move towards one another and then our lips met in a sweet kiss that left the taste of cotton candy on one another.

This was the perfect night.

* * *

 **Hey Guys!**

 **Thank you for reading,  
I really hope you enjoyed it.**

 **This is the longest chapter I have ever written,  
I really do hope that this is what you all wanted,  
It's a very sweet and romantic chapter,  
The next chapter is also quite sweet,  
BUT chapter 14 is going to be dramatic!**

 **Please follow, favourite and review!**


	13. Sleepy Cuddles

**Broken  
Chapter 13  
Sleepy Cuddles**

 **Rose**  
We got to the top of the Ferris wheel and we slowed down to a stop so that we could see everything, it was so lit up and to be honest I never realised how beautiful this city was and from out here I can really appreciate it's beauty. I took a sneak peek at Dimitri and saw that he was also looking out at the scenery as well. We were both really happy and content with the moment, we were sat in silence but it was a very comfortable silence. We ate our cotton candy with our arms linked with one another. I enjoy being with Dimitri and feeling his touch, it just makes me feel more safe and secure, no matter where I am.

I looked up at Dimitri once more but this time he was looking at me as well, we smiled lightly at one another until our heads started to move towards one another and then our lips met in a sweet kiss that left the taste of cotton candy on one another.

This was the perfect night.

Dimitri and I pulled away from the kiss before it got to the point where it was too heated for either of us to stop, we were in public after all and I'm not ready for all of that. When we pulled away from the kiss our foreheads touched and we were still close to one another. Dimitri had his arm around me and I was nearly sitting on his lap, we giggled at each other like teenagers and finally pulled away from one another, I moved away from him a little bit but he kept his arm around me so that I couldn't get too fair away which I didn't mind. It was nice to feel like I'm wanted and cared about, it's not something that I'm used to but Dimitri is started to make me feel comfortable with the attention.

The Ferris wheel started moving slowly towards the bottom. All of the adrenaline had left me from being on the other rides and now I just felt calm and relaxed. In fact I think this is the best time to go home before I chicken out and tell Dimitri not to come in. I'm in that place that I'm ready for him to come into my home, my little sanctuary. This is only my second date with Dimitri and third time I've met him but I am sure that Dimitri is not a threat to me, my home and most importantly he's not a threat to Jackson. That is what I care most about, I think Dimitri could be everything that Jesse is not… if we take our relationship that far.

We reached the bottom and the ride attendant unlocked the bar so that the two of us could get off, Dimitri got off first and then he took my hand and helped me off. We held hands as we left the ride but Dimitri didn't seem to know which direction to go in next. There were still a couple of rides we hadn't been on but I'm hoping Dimitri won't mind me suggesting that I want to go home.

"What do you want to do?" He asked me.

"I was thinking, if you don't mind, we go back to my place and watch that movie," I suggested nervously.

Dimitri smiled and nodded at me "Let's go." He said and we started walking back towards where we parked the car.

We reached the car within a couple of minutes and Dimitri unlocked the car, he opened the door for me and I got inside before he closed it and went round to his side and got in. When Dimitri got into the car he put his key in the ignition, the car roared to life, I looked over at him and smiled as I took in his features as he concentrated on reversing out of the small space so he didn't hit any other cars. He looked cute when he was concentrating, he had his brows furrowed and his mouth set in a hard line. As soon as he was back onto the road his face relaxed and he was his calm and handsome self once again.

"Why are you staring?" Dimitri asked me.

"Because you're hot," I told him with a giggle.

"You're silly," He responded.

"So you can stare at me but I can't stare at you?" I questioned.

"You can stare if you want but the view I get when I stare at you is a much better one when you stare at me. I'm afraid that you are getting the raw end of the deal," He argued.

"I can argue that it's _you_ getting the raw end of the deal. I'm the one with all the baggage," I said.

"Don't say that," He replied and I noticed the look on his face. It was a warning look and I know he meant it for me to stop talking down about myself, he doesn't like that I've noticed, but what I was saying is true. I am the one with all the emotional baggage and a son… Jackson I love to death but having a son makes things harder in a relationship "Rose, when will you realise that you having a son doesn't bother me in the slightest and I know things were bad with your ex, but I am happy to be there for you and prove that not all of us men are like him. You don't have baggage so don't say you do." He told me.

Why can't Dimitri see that I'm damaged goods? He sees the best in me and takes everything that I throw at him, nothing sways him and I feel bad for dumping so much on him. I have so many problems and I have a son that needs taking care of. Dimitri understands that Jackson comes first in my life and he doesn't seem to mind that he isn't my main priority, I don't deserve someone like Dimitri. He has so much going for him in his life and he is so successful and he settles for someone like me? Really? I know he can do much better… but I'm not going to tell him that, he'll just scold me some more. He thinks I'm the best thing since sliced bread and I have no idea why.

I'm not ready for Dimitri to Lissa and Christian just yet, or my parents, I know they will like him and Lissa is just going to love him but I want to keep him to myself for just a little bit longer. I'm not ready for Dimitri to be introduced to Jackson yet either, I know he's safe to be around Jackson and I don't think Dimitri would do anything bad to him but I don't want to scare Dimitri off. He might think he's happy to be with someone who has a child, but what if meeting Jackson changes that? What if seeing me as a mother and being around Jackson changes things? It's a terrible thing to think I know but I don't want anything to ruin this bit of happiness that I have.

"Whatever negative thoughts you're having, stop," Dimitri stated without once glancing in my direction.

"I'm not," I lied.

"Yes you are. I can tell by the look on your face," He said.

"Sorry."

* * *

Dimitri turned into my street and parked directly outside my house, most of the cars from earlier were gone, it was quieter now. I looked over at Dimitri and I smiled softly at him and he smiled back. He took hold of my hand and brought it up to his lips which lingered on the back of my hand for a few moments before he let go. He got out of the car and by the time I took my seatbelt off he was at my door, he opened it for me and took my hand helping me out of the car. He held onto my hand as we started walking towards my house, I noticed that the closer we got, the more his palms started to sweat. He was nervous. What did he have to be nervous about?

"Why are you scared to come to my house? Worried that I'm really a murderer or something?" I teased.

"Of course not," He answered "I just don't want you to think that I'm coming here for one reason only. I know we spoke about it earlier but I just don't want you to feel like just because I'm here we have to do something, if you're not comfortable with anything then don't do it… promise me," He told me as we reached the front door.

"I promise," I said and I meant it.

I unlocked the door and we walked into the house, I flicked the lights on as we walked through. Dimitri and I kicked our shoes off before we entered the living room, as I held onto his hand I brought him towards the sofa and sat him down whilst I stood up in front of him.

"Do you want a drink or something?" I asked him.

"I'm fine thank you," He replied.

"Are you sure? We've been out for hours and we didn't exactly eat much there," I argued.

"I'm fine Rose," He answered with a smile playing on his lips "Why are you looking pouty?" He questioned.

"I just feel like a bad host if no one has a drink or something," I said trying not to sound crazy.

"Ok, if it will get rid of that pouty look, I will have a water," He told me.

"Ice?"

"Yes please."

I went into the kitchen and made us both an ice glass of water. It was true what I had said to Dimitri, if someone doesn't have a drink or food then I feel like a bad host. Then I start to panic that they may think there is something wrong with the house, like it's not clean or something. All of these are thoughts are totally crazy and stupid but a lot of crazy and stupid things go on in my head. I take a lot of pride in my home and I like it being clean and I want everyone to know how nice my home is and that just because I'm young with a baby doesn't mean that I can't keep a clean home… trust me, the amount of people that ask me what sort of home I have is silly.

I hate stereotypes. I have lived through people thinking that I'm a stereotype since I got pregnant and it sucks. A lot of people just assume that I'm a single mother because of my age, although they are right I don't want everyone just assuming. They assume that my child misses out on a lot because I'm so young and 'inexperienced', but aren't all first time parents inexperienced? They assume that my home must be a mess because I'm a young single mother. They assume that I don't have a good relationship with my parents or that I had a bad upbringing or my parents didn't care enough to teach me about safe sex.

There are so many different things and although some of them are true, like me and Jesse not being together, a lot of them are wrong. Me and my parents have a great relationship. I love my parents to death and I know they love both me and Jackson, in fact they are coming to visit in the next few weeks. My dad has even been looking at moving closer so he can try and see us more. Don't assume because I'm a young single mother that you know my life story. I think a lot of people would actually be shocked if they knew what I had gone through and what I did to keep my baby safe and myself. Never judge a book by it's cover.

* * *

"Have you seen this movie before?" Dimitri asked as I put the disc in the DVD player.

"Yes I've seen it before and trust me, you will really like this movie. It's really funny." I promised as I took my seat next to him with the remote control in my hand to press play.

Dimitri had said he wanted to watch a movie that he hadn't seen before and I had loads of DVDs so I decided to make the choice. I chose Bad Neighbours with Zac Efron and Seth Rogen. It's a comedy so it's light and funny, Dimitri hasn't seen it before and everyone laughs at this movie (if you don't then you have no sense of humour).

I pressed play on the control and it started.

* * *

 **Dimitri**  
I have to admit that Rose really does have good taste in movies. She said I would like this one and I do, it's so funny and it's easily a movie you could watch over and over again. I laughed at another part of the movie and looked down to check on Rose, she hadn't laughed, she had her eyes closed with her head on my shoulder. She was breathing softly as the movie played. I tuned the movie out as I listened to her breathing and smiled as I noticed that her hand was still in entwined in mine and resting in my lap. She seemed so comfortable and content, I was going to wake her and tell her that I would go if she wanted to go to sleep but I just didn't want to disturb her. Will she be ok with me just staying here? She is so guarded and although when I asked her something she is always honest, I can't help but think there is a lot more going on with Rose then she admits too.

I don't want her to freak out or think of me as some sort of pervert or something. I just don't want to move her whilst she is this comfortable. Something tells me that between work and Jackson, Rose doesn't get to sleep a lot and if she can have a peaceful sleep now then I don't want to wake her from it. What if she can't get back to sleep if I wake her? I would have ruined her whole nights sleep. I don't want to be blamed for anything like that but I don't want to push her either. She is so fragile sometimes, although she won't admit it. Sometimes I can't help but think of Rose as a ticking time bomb, I know one day something is going to trigger something and she is going to explode. It don't want it to be something I've done but she just has so much pent up inside her.

We haven't known each other long and I still don't think Rose trusts me 100% but I am willing to work hard and prove to her that she can trust me. I want her to know that I'm not like that ex boyfriend of hers. I want to cherish her and be there for her, she thinks having a son and such a bad past means she comes with lots of baggage but it doesn't, it just means that she's lived. No one is perfect and no one has lived the perfect life. Everyone goes through struggles and if you have survived your struggles then you are strong. I want Rose to know how strong she really is, Jesse might have broken her but I'm going to build her back up.

"Dimitri?" Rose asked quietly, she had one eye open.

"Yeah?"

"Stay." She stated.

It's as if she can read minds.

* * *

 **Hey Guys!**

 **Thank you for being so patient once again.  
Last Sunday I was way too hungover to update.  
I was so hungover that I could just about drag myself to the bathroom.  
Anyone know what that's like?**

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	14. Visitors

**Broken  
Chapter 14  
** **Visitors**

 **Rose  
** Saturday night has become date night for myself and Dimitri. Lissa and Christian usually have Jackson for the afternoon or the night so that Dimitri and I can have some time to ourselves. However, this Saturday we're not having our date night because my mom and dad are coming to visit for the weekend, it's going to be the first time I've seen them since I left Jesse and my hometown. I am really nervous to see them because I don't know what they're going to think of my new home and job. I'm really worried that they are not going to be happy with how things are in my life and they are going to want me to move back home. My parents do not make a secret of wanting me to move back, they are looking for any little thing they can use against me and pressure me to move back, they miss their grandson and me. I don't blame them for wanting to move back because if Jackson moved away from me then I would want him to come back as well.

As Dimitri and I are not seeing each other this weekend, Dimitri has taken a job in Las Vegas. Bruno Mars was doing a big show there are he needed some extra personal security. He has got the best job in the world! I was going to tell Dimitri that I could see him this weekend and then let my parents have Jackson on their own for a little while to bond but he's already taken the job. I have to admit that I am going to miss Dimitri this weekend as we're not going to see each other at all and I've got so used to seeing him on a Saturday. I'm going to suggest to him that maybe he could come and stay for the weekend and maybe he could meet Jackson for the first time next weekend.

Dimitri and I have been seeing each other for nearly three months now and things have been moving slow. We haven't had anymore sleepovers since the first one but I kind of wish we did, when I woke up in Dimitri's arms on the sofa I was so happy and I have never felt so safe and secure before in my life. We had a lovely morning and Dimitri made us breakfast and then he had to leave for work. It was nice having someone there for a change, sometimes it feels lonely here on my own sometimes. I know I have Jackson here but it's not like I can have a grown up conversation with him. I liked having the company and having someone to talk to, someone to make me feel better. Dimitri has been taking it slow with me but I want to prove to him that I want us to work and I am willing to put in the effort with him, I trust him more then I ever trusted Jesse and I want to do something to show him that.

I made the bold decision to tell my mom about Dimitri when we were speaking on the phone, she of course told my dad and they both expressed their concerns about me moving on so soon after Jesse. I don't think that it was that soon but apparently they think it is, they said they're worried that I'm just seeing Dimitri to fill a void that Jesse had made but it's not that at all. When I moved here I didn't have any intention of finding someone, I was just happy to be away from Jesse and live my life with Jackson safely and happily but then I did meet Dimitri and I was just drawn to him. I feel like Dimitri is the right person for me, things feel different then what they did with Jesse. Knowing what I know now, I don't think I was ever in love with Jesse, I think it was just infatuation.

I think that if my parents had the chance to meet Dimitri then they would understand why I liked him, I think they would realise that he was a much better man then Jesse ever was. Dimitri is a real man whereas Jesse is just a pathetic little man. I think my dad and Dimitri would get on really well actually, my dad would hear about what Dimitri does for a living and they would bond over that. It's obvious that Dimitri is a protective person due to what job he has and my dad would be happy to know that someone like that is looking after me and Jackson. All my parents want for me is to be safe and happy, if Dimitri can keep me safe then he will become their best friend.

I'm sure when my parents get here, they will tell me exactly what they think of me having a boyfriend. I have a feeling that they were just being nice on the phone, I think they have a lot more to say about it. Once they get here I think it's going to be one of the first things they ask me about, after Jackson of course.

I want to prove to my parents that moving away has been a good thing for myself and Jackson so I have been working hard to make sure the house is nice and tidy. I want them to understand that I'm fine living on my own and not struggling, which is true, I'm not struggling with anything and I am really happy and settled here. My mom is looking for any reason to move me back home, she doesn't like me being this far away and not being able to see me regularly so I need to make sure I don't give her a case to put before me. Although my dad probably wants me and Jackson to live closer, I think he'll be happy as long as I am ok on my own down here and if I get him on side then I can get mom on side.

A small bang made me turn around, I saw Jackson crawling around the floor throwing his toys around. I just can't believe that he is nearly 11 months old already, he is doing so much now and it's just flying by so quickly. He's going to be turning 1 years old in about a month and a half and I have no idea what I'm going to do to celebrate, I was thinking of having a little party but there isn't many people who are going to show up, I don't know many people here apart from Lissa and Christian, and Dimitri of course but four people isn't really a party. I wonder if I ask my parents, if they would come back to visit for his birthday. I would like to have them there for it.

I went over to Jackson and picked him up to give him a cuddle. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder, but only for a second. He looked me directly in the face and smiled so wide and brightly that I couldn't help but smile myself.

"I love you," I told him and placed a kiss on his nose.

"Mmmm," He replied.

"Are you trying to say mommy?"

"Mmmm,"

"Mommy… you can say mommy," I said.

"Moooommmmmmmm,"

"Yes. Good boy! Mommy. You are so clever," I praised and kissed him on the cheek "You are such a clever boy. You're going to be a scientist or something smart." I told him.

Jackson just started laughing and I couldn't help but laugh along with him. As Jackson laughed his head went forward and it looked like he was nestling me, I could feel the dribble on my skin but I didn't care, listening to Jackson laughing is one of my favourite things to listen to.

* * *

The front door knocked loudly making me jump slightly, Jackson looked towards the door and then back at me with confusion spread over his cute little face. I picked him up and he clung onto my t-shirt as we walked towards the front door, I opened and it saw my parents standing on the other side.

"Mom! Dad!" I exclaimed excitedly and gave them each a one armed hug "Come in," I invited and we all walked through to the living room together.

"Oh Rose, it's so good to see you," My mom said "And Jackson, look hw big you have got my gorgeous little man," She cooed and took Jackson from me to cuddle him.

"How you been sweetheart?" Dad asked.

"I've been really good dad. Things here are really good for me and I promise you, I'm doing really well and so Jackson," I told him.

"Good," He replied "What I wanna hear about though is this new boyfriend of yours… Dimitri? Tell me about him," He said.

"There's really not much to tell. I've told you everything there is to know," I said.

"Well tell me again," He stated.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

"Dimitri is a bodyguard to the rich and famous. He is very protective, kind, generous, sweet and he looks after me. He's the perfect gentleman… I really don't know what else to tell you," I said.

"Have you introduced him to Jackson?" My mom asked.

"No not yet … I was thinking about it soon though, I mean we've been together for a few months now and I trust him. I've got to know him and I think introducing him to Jackson will be a good thing," I told them "And I think it will make my relationship with Dimitri a bit better, we don't get to see each other much, only once a week because of Jackson. If I introduce him to Jackson and things go well then I can probably see him more often," I explained.

"You're Jackson's mother, you do what you think is best. I will just say one thing, you make sure that Dimitri is as good as you think he is before bringing him around Jackson. You don't want the two of them getting some sort of bond and then have you and Dimitri split up. That's not good for anyone, so just make sure this is the right thing." My dad told me.

You know I really thought my parents would be a lot worse then this, I thought there would definitely be a lot more interrogation with regards to Dimitri. I reckon that my dad did want to interrogate a little more but I think my mom has warned him to behave himself, I don't think she wants to cause any stress or arguments as this is the first time I'm seeing them in a while.

* * *

I had such a great day today with my parents and Jackson, we had so much fun and it wasn't until today that I realised how much I missed them and how much I want them to be around. I know my parents feel the same, they miss their grandson and they want to spend more time with him. Jackson is their first and only grandchild after all and they don't have the sort of bond with him that they wished they did, I do feel guilty that they don't see him because it was me that moved away but hopefully we can work something out. We all want to see each other and we want to be a close family and have a good bond, I want Jackson to have a bond with his grandparents, he doesn't have family apart from me which is sad.

There is one other person I want Jackson to have a good bond with is Dimitri and I spoke about introducing the two of them. I know what my mom said about making sure it was the right thing but I really do think that Dimitri and Jackson should meet each other and be in each other's lives, I think they're going to be really good friends and that is all I want.

My parents have taken Jackson out for a little walk, just the three of them so I have some spare time on my hands… I'm going to call Dimitri because I miss him and it will be nice to hear his voice as well as fill him on everything that's happened today.

"Hey beautiful," He said as he answered the call.

"Hey! Have you had a good day?" I asked him.

"It's been ok," He replied "Did your parents come?" He questioned.

"Yeah, they arrived earlier today. They've been fussing over Jackson so much today, they've just taken him out for a little walk. It's been good to see them and I know they've missed me and Jackson and I've missed them, it's been really nice to see them… but I've missed you," I explained to him.

"I've missed you too."

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me,  
I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I am putting this story on a break for a little while,  
Don't worry it's not for long.  
I just have too much going on right now.  
I'm hoping to be updating again in about 4-6 weeks.**

 **Sorry for all the waiting!**

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